Natural Health Solutions

Reduce Your High Blood Pressure Naturally With Hibiscus Tea

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, continue reading »

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Rhubarb Is Not A Vegetable. It Is Not A Fruit. Rhubarb Is Rhubarb!

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 »

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How Do The Dandelions Help Your Health?

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, continue reading »

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Get In Shape With The Right Post- Exercise Meal

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 »

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Natural Cures With Neem For Your Teeth And Skin Health

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 »

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Take Holy Basil Tea Each Day & Keep The Doctor At Bay!

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 »

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Arugula Is Your Best Friend!

Arugula is one leafy green vegetable that stands out as a rich source of many vitamins and minerals. All salad greens are healthy, but not all give you a good dose of nutrients.

Arugula is closely related to broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, and brussels sprouts, some of the best anti-cancer foods around. It has a peppery, mustardy flavor with a slight bitterness.

This plant contains about eight times the calcium, fives times the vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K, and four times the iron as the same amount of iceberg lettuce. And, continue reading »

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Pine Needles In The Tea. Forget The Flu. Feel Better. Think Clearly.

Pine needles are probably not the first thing you think of when you hear the word tea. But its been around for ages. The tea has a pleasant smell and taste.

Children seem to love it because of its tanginess. Pine needles are rich in Vitamin C and also bring relief to conditions such as heart disease, varicose veins, fatigue, kidney aliments, sclerosis. Pine needle tea also gives you better eyesight.

This is the perfect tea to drink during the winter months.  And, continue reading »

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Powerhouse Of Nutrition: Purslane

Purslane is a powerhouse of nutrition. Hippocrates used it as a medicine. Henry David Thoreau found it in a cornfield, boiled it, and called it a “satisfactory dinner.” Many Europeans today eat it as Thoreau did, or chop it up fresh and put it in their salads.

It’s known as purslane–a plant that is a troublesome weed in many U.S. crops, especially vegetables. But recent research findings confirm that purslane is also a rich source of fatty acids, vitamin E, and other key nutrients–making it a prime candidate as a new vegetable crop.

For example, if you currently take fish oil capsules, omega-3 oil capsules, flax oil, or anti-depressants, a switch to purslane could improve your health and save you lots of money, too.

Herbalist James Duke says purslane contains up to 4000 ppm of the omega-3 fatty-acid alpha linolenic acid (ALA) Eating purslane is tastier, safer, and more effective than taking omega-3 supplements. To increase the effect, Duke suggests adding walnut oil to your purslane.

Purslane counters depression. It is one of the five herbs — lettuce, amaranth greens, lamb’s quarters greens, and watercress are the other four — richest in antidepressant substances.

Purslane is a superior source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, phenylalanine, and tryptophan, all of which are known to moderate the effects of depressive brain chemicals.

Purslane is the richest source of Omega-3 fatty acids of any green, leafy vegetable.. And, continue reading »

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With Your Own Herb Garden Comes The Feeling Of Flavor, Scent, And Beauty

Each year, more and more people discover the fun of growing herb garden. And it’s no wonder: Herbs are mostly tough plants in the garden that are easy to grow, are seldom plagued by diseases, and have very few enemies in the insect world.

Plus, your own herb garden is always ready to lend a hand with all kinds of jobs, whether you want to spice up your food, make your house smell nice, or cure a sore throat.

Not all herbs are created equal. Plants can only pick up what’s in the soil, particularly in the case of minerals. A lot of herbs  now are being mass produced to meet the demand and are being grown with chemical fertilizers instead of organic methods, so you won’t have all the trace elements in them.

Now the U.S. government is encouraging farmers to spread a chalky waste from coal-fired power plants on their fields to loosen and fertilize soil.

That industrial byproduct is a synthetic form of the mineral gypsum, and it also contains mercury, arsenic, lead and other heavy metals.

The Environmental Protection Agency says those toxic metals occur in only tiny amounts. But some environmentalists say too little is known about how the material affects crops, and ultimately human health.

By the way, the use of FGD gypsum on farm fields is not brand new. According to the American Coal Ash Association, farmers’ use of the material has more than tripled in the past 6 years, from about 78,000 tons spread on fields in 2002, to nearly 279,000 tons in 2008. And, continue reading »

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