Natural Health Solutions

Hibiscus tea is an old herbal beverage that may be drank as both hot and cold.  The tea has been enjoyed by many for hundreds of years as a relaxing refreshment and as a herbal remedy to treat ailments.

* Blood Pressure

Studies have shown hibiscus tea to be beneficial in lowering blood pressure and may control cholesterol.

A few cups of hibiscus tea a day may reduce blood pressure and offer cardiovascular benefits for people at risk of developing hypertension, says a new study from Tufts University.

Three 240 mL servings a day of tea made with hibiscus were associated with a 7.2 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure and a 3.1 mmHg reduction in diastolic blood pressure, compared to 1.3 and 0.5 mmHg in the placebo group, according to findings published in The Journal of Nutrition.

*   Weight Loss

Hibiscus tea contains an enzyme inhibitor which blocks the production of amylase. Amylase is an enzyme that breaks down complex sugars and starches.

Drinking a cup of hibiscus tea after meals will reduce the absorption of dietary carbohydrates and will assist in weight loss. And, Read the rest of this entry »

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Various studies have shown that it is important to stay fit despite your age. If you are like so many women who had tried many diets and really don’t eat that much now but still don’t loose weight, the problem might be your age.

The fact is that if women wait to focus on fitness until they approach their 50s, they add another degree of difficulty to the process: menopause!

Estrogen is a so-called catabolic hormone, which means that one of its functions is to help us burn and use energy stores.

As estrogen walks out the door as women enter menopause, we are left with an intact storage function and less burning function.

It takes less energy for daily maintenance and therefore less food intake. Unless we burn more energy through smart activity, we are not likely to make progress on getting control of our bodies. And, Read the rest of this entry »

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Botanically speaking, rhubarb is a vegetable, yet we use it in recipes as a fruit. The Ancient Chinese cultivated the plant for health reasons, as they believed the rhubarb plant roots had valuable medicinal properties.

Rhubarb, which looks like a pink or red stalk of celery, gained little acceptance in the United States until the 1700’s.

Even today, rhubarb does not have a huge following, perhaps because the rhubarb stalks are fairly tart, and usually require a fair amount of sugar to make them palatable for most folks.

While rhubarb has a medicinal history originating in Asia, ingesting a large amount of the leaves can cause poisoning.

They contain high concentrations of oxalic acid crystals which can cause serious problems when eaten. These crystals can cause the tongue and throat to swell, preventing breathing.

The edible petioles (stalks) are up to 18 inches long, 1 to 2 inches in diameter, generally somewhat hemispherical in cross section. These petioles are cut and used in pies, jams, jellies, sauces and juice.

Rhubarb has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine since ancient times and today it is still applied in various herbal preparations for health benefits.

*   A study has shown that rhubarb help patients with gastric cancer to recover after operations. And, Read the rest of this entry »

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Who would think that dandelions in your lawn could be so beneficial?  Dandelions can help treat the following problems:

• Acne & Constipation

• Digestion problems & High blood pressure

• Gallstones & Gout

• Osteoarthritis & Psoriasis

• Eczema & Weight loss.

The reason why dandelions, once mixed with other chemicals, can help with all the above problems is because the dandelion contains vitamins A, B, C, and D. They also contain large amounts of phenolic acids, potassium, and most importantly calcium.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a serving of uncooked dandelion leaves contains 280 percent of an adult’s daily requirement of beta carotene as well as more than half the requirement of vitamin C. And, Read the rest of this entry »

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You can get in shape with the right post-exercise meal. Eating after exercise is important. Why?  Because your muscles need the raw materials to recuperate after your work out.

Failure to eat the right food after exercise — or worse — skipping the post-exercise meal altogether can harm your body.

“You never think that you can just continue to ride your car without ever going to the gas station. We can’t expect to be able to continue to exercise our bodies without refueling them,” said Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist of the American Council on Exercise.

What you eat after exercise has different effects on your body’s metabolism. Many of the improvements that arise from exercise come largely from the most recent session, rather than from accumulated fitness from exercise you did months ago.

This study found that exercise enhances insulin sensitivity but especially if the meal you eat after the session is low in carbohydrate. Enhanced insulin sensitivity means that it is easier or your body to take up sugar from the blood into muscles where it can be stored or used as fuel. And, Read the rest of this entry »

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Health threat linked to thyroid disease comes from nonstick cookware and stain-resistant carpets.

Recent research has found links between perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, and female infertility, low sperm count, and even high cholesterol.

The substance, used to make nonstick cookware, stain-resistant furnishings and greaseproof wrappers, is believed to get into the body through contaminated food or household dust. Once in the body it accumulates in organs and other tissues.

People with high levels of the chemical in their blood were found to be twice as likely to have thyroid problems as those with the lowest levels, according to a survey of medical records of nearly 4,000 otherwise healthy US adults.

The thyroid gland produces hormones that control the body’s metabolism and are vital for regulating heart rate and temperature.

Thyroid disease can make the gland produce too much or too little hormone. An underactive thyroid can cause exhaustion, depression and weight gain. And, Read the rest of this entry »

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Since olden days people used neem to combat diseases. Neem tree was considered as a medicinal one and was given the prime position because of its ability to treat a wide spectrum of diseases.

All parts of the neem tree have medicinal value. The root, bark, twigs, leaf, flower, seed and fruit are all used in treating various ailments.

More than 135 compounds have been isolated from different parts of neem and several reviews have also been published on the chemistry and structural diversity of these compounds.

Perhaps, its most common use in India is in dental applications. And, Read the rest of this entry »

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Holy basil tea is great for overloaded, overworked, stressed out people who need to relieve stress while increasing performance levels.

Research proves that  holy basil (Tulsi) counteracts stress-induced changes in neurotransmitters and effectively turns down the body’s stress thermostat.

Tulsi is undoubtedly the best medicinal herb ever known. It has endless medicinal values and is being worshipped in  India since thousands of years.

Even going closer to a Tulsi plant alone can protect you from many infections. A few leaves dropped in drinking water can purify it and can kill germs in it.

Even smelling it or keeping it planted in a pot indoors can protect the whole family from infections, cough and cold and other viral infections. And, Read the rest of this entry »

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You could give me 10 or more reasons for exercising. The problem is not that people don’t know that exercising is the key to aging well.

The problem is that only a third of us do 30 minutes of exercise a day. Here are some amazing reasons for exercising which you may not know:

• Brain function. Exercise makes a type of Miracle-Gro for the brain. When exercising, your brain makes a substance called brain-derived neurotrophic factor. It is a type of brain food.

Studies have found that active people are more likely to be better adjusted and perform better on tests of cognitive function. And scientists believe this exercise-induced “ brain food” is the reason.

• Mood. After a stressful day, exercise can calm and improve your mood. According to researchers at the University of Missouri, thirty minutes of moderate- to – intense exercise can leave you still feeling on top of the world ninety minutes later. And, Read the rest of this entry »

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There is one thing you can do right now to reduce breast cancer risk that is easy, inexpensive, and will offer numerous health benefits across the board: exercise.

A sedentary lifestyle is a risk factor for different forms of cancer, and breast cancer is no exception. Conversely, physically active people have been shown to have a reduced rate of all-cancer mortality.

Considerable research supports this concept, such as a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute , which showed that women who exercised four hours a week regularly reduced their risk of breast cancer by up to 60%. And, Read the rest of this entry »

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