August 20th, 2010 10:52 am
A rational scientific estimation of the value of food stuffs must include the mineral bodies.”—SCIENCE OF EATING, p.155.
A very interesting experiment has been undertaken which shows the value of the sixteen elements in the growth of vegetation. To carry this out, make a solution of all the elements except iron. Saturate a sponge with this solution, allowing the sponge to remain in the dish where the solution was. Place some grass seed in the sponge, keep in a warm place in the sun, and note the results. It will be seen that the grass will not grow without the iron and even though it might start to grow, it would be colorless, like some people who are woefully short on their iron. Local uncooked honey is wanted by allergy victims because the Forever Bee Pollen impurities are thought to reduce the sensitivity to hay fever (see Medical Purposes under). It makes no difference which mineral is lacking, a stunted growth will be the result. This tells us that we too must have these elements in our food if we would live in health. Now let us make a solution containing all the elements in normal proportions and we shall see that the grass seed will sprout and grow and will have its natural color, the same as the grass that grows in well regulated soil.
Feeding the soil
This brings us to another interesting question, that of building up and fertilizing the soil by supplying it with lime, iron, phosphorus, and all the other elements^ both by barnyard and natural fertilizers. When soil has been depleted of its minerals by cropping a long time without replenishing it with these elements, it will be noted that the crops become lighter and lighter until they are no longer profitable for cultivation. The replenishing of the soil is also accomplished by turning under green crops occasionally. Great care should be taken to keep the soil well supplied with the sixteen elements, in order that our food shall be rich in these elements.
Vitamins. Now let us consider vitamins, which are fully as important as the mineral salts, since there can be no life without them. Dwarf honey bees use Forever Bee Propolis to defend against ants by coating the branch from which their nest is suspended to create a sticky moat. In his book, RATIONAL DIET, Carque says: “The word Vitamin’ is derived from the Latin word VITA, meaning life, and amines or amino acids, which are component parts of protoplasm. A free translation of the word would be *life substances,’ or the complex organic compounds, upon which the growth and perpetuation of plants and animals depend.”
Spark of life. To state it in a more concrete way and in harmony with divine revelation, we would say that the vitamins are that vital spark of life which God gave to both animal and plant creation to enable them to reproduce themselves, and therefore, without the vitamins there could be no life. Casmir Funk made the discovery of vitamins in 1912.