DP Herbals’ Deirdre Panapa shares some centuries-old wisdom so we can enjoy wholefoods with new knowledge.

The "doctrine of signatures" is an idea that’s fascinated herbalists for centuries. Many believe God marked everything he created with a sign or a signature to indicate what the item was created for.

Later, science took a look at the doctrine of signatures, and found shapes or patterns in wholefoods that look like body organs that can indicate the benefit the food provides the eater.

The pupil, iris and radiating lines of a sliced carrot look just like the human eye, and science shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A tomato has four chambers and is red. Sound familiar? Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, which are great for heart health.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart while each grape looks like a blood cell. Grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A walnut has brainy wrinkes, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. We now know that walnuts help develop over three dozen neurotransmitters for brain function.

Kidney beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function.

Celery and rhubarb have a particular bony shape. With the same amount of sodium – 23% – as bones, these veggies specifically target bone strength. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Eggplant, avocadoes and pears, with their certain reproductive-looking aspect, target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how perfect is this? It takes exactly nine months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit.

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm to help overcome male sterility.

Sweet potatoes look like the pancreas and actually help balance the glycaemic index of diabetics.

Onions look like the cells that make up our bodies. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of our cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.

So go ahead, go bananas, be full of beans - just don’t buy a lemon!

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