Archive for February, 2010
February 25th, 2010 -- Posted in Green Living, Healthy Eating, Natural Beauty, Natural Remedies |
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, continue reading »
Technorati Tags: home remedy, laxative, rhubarb
February 21st, 2010 -- Posted in Green Living, Healthy Eating, Natural Beauty, Natural Remedies |
Who would think that dandelions in your lawn could be so beneficial? Dandelions can help treat the following problems:
- Digestion problems & High blood pressure
- Osteoarthritis & Psoriasis
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, continue reading »
Technorati Tags: dandelions, diuretics, gallstones
February 17th, 2010 -- Posted in Fitness, Green Living, Healthy Eating, Natural Beauty |
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, continue reading »
Technorati Tags: get in shape, whey protein powder, workout nutrition
February 14th, 2010 -- Posted in Fitness, Green Living, Healthy Eating |
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, continue reading »
Technorati Tags: infertility, nonstick cookware, thyroid disease
February 10th, 2010 -- Posted in Green Living, Healthy Eating, Natural Beauty, Natural Remedies |
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, continue reading »
Technorati Tags: gums, neem, skin disorders
February 6th, 2010 -- Posted in Green Living, Healthy Eating, Natural Beauty, Natural Remedies |
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, continue reading »
Technorati Tags: Holy basil tea, infections, skin disorders
February 6th, 2010 -- Posted in Green Living, Healthy Eating, Natural Beauty, Natural Remedies |
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, continue reading »
Technorati Tags: Holy basil tea, infections, skin disorders
February 5th, 2010 -- Posted in Fitness |
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, continue reading »
Technorati Tags: brain function, cancer, exercising, mood
February 2nd, 2010 -- Posted in Fitness |
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, continue reading »
Technorati Tags: breast cancer risk, exercise, Healthy Eating
