The health benefits of herbs
Consuming herbs may help to prevent and manage many diseases like heart issues, cancer, and diabetes, reduce blood clots and provide anti-inflammatory properties.
Herbs contain high antioxidant levels and it’s best to consume than fresh than processed or dried. To preserve their properties herbs are usually added at the end of cooking.
Parsley Benefits
People know more about parsley as a decoration to be laid on top of a meal than the actual health benefits that parsley has in it. Fresh parsley can be found in supermarkets all year round and parsley is the most popular herb there is. Parsley means “rock celery” and parsley is part of the celery family. When planting parsley, it will return to the garden year after year.
Two of the most popular parsley are curly parsley and Italian flake leaf parsley. The Italian flake leaf parsley has a more fragrant and less bitter taste than the curly parsley. There is another type of parsley that is called the turnip-rooted parsley that is cultivated for the roots of the plant.
Parsley contains a flavonoid which is called luteolin which functions as an antioxidant in the human body. It combines with a highly reactive oxygen-containing molecule called oxygen radicals which prevent oxygen-based damage to cells in the body.
Parsley is a good source of two nutrients that the body needs and those two nutrients are called Vitamin C and Vitamin A. Vitamin C is the body’s water – a soluble antioxidant that takes dangerous radicals in the body and makes them harmless in all the water-soluble areas of the body. High levels of free radical aid contribute to and progress of diseases called atherosclerosis, colon cancer, diabetes, and asthma. Vitamin C also helps with the proper functioning of the immune system, and it can also help to prevent ear infections and colds.
Beta-carotene acts as another important antioxidant that helps to control these diseases within the body and the diseases are atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Beta-carotene is converted into Vitamin A by the body and this is super important to the immune system that researchers nickname the nutrient “anti-infection vitamin”.
Parsley is a good source of folic acid which is one of the important B vitamins and its most important role is for heart health by being necessary for the process by which the body converts homocysteine into benign molecules. Homocysteine at a high level is a dangerous molecule that can directly damage blood vessels and can promote a high risk of heart attacks and stroke in people with atherosclerosis or diabetic heart disease. People who consume a lot of these types of food such as parsley want to or wish to prevent these types of diseases.
One study on Vitamin C shows that high levels of this vitamin make osteoarthritis, a type of degenerative arthritis that occurs with the aging process worse in laboratory animals while another study shows that a diet rich in Vitamin C food provides the human body with protective inflammatory polyarthritis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis which involves two or more joints in the body.
The next time that the cook put parsley on your plate as a decoration and garnish partake in its health benefits. Parsley will also cleanse your palate and clean your breath.
Basil Benefits
Basil was grown originally in Asia and the Middle East. It has been traced as far back as five thousand years and has hundreds of different varieties. The strange thing is that all the different varieties have their chemical makeup, but the base medicinal properties are always the same.
The round, often pointed leaves of the basil plant remind me of the peppermint plant to which it is related and the fragrant leaves are used for seasoning when they are used in cooking. Basil has become an important part of the seasoning team in pesto, pasta, and other chicken dishes.
The volatile oils of dried basil are weak, so fresh basil is the better of the two to be used in our cooking and for the healing treatment that basil is part of. The main use of basil medicinally is as a natural anti-inflammatory. The same compound that makes basil useful as an anti-inflammatory is also believed to help fight against bowel inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis.
This enzyme-inhibiting effect of the eugenol in basil qualifies basil as an anti-inflammatory food that provides important healing benefits along with symptomatic relief for individuals with inflammatory health problems like rheumatoid arthritis or an inflammatory bowel condition.
Basil is a very rich source of Vitamin A through its concentration of carotenes such as beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is called Pro-Vitamin A since it can be converted into Vitamin A and beta-carotene is a more powerful antioxidant than Vitamin A. Beta-carotene not only protects the epithelial cells, which are the cells that line numerous body structures including the blood vessels from free harmful radicals’ damage. Beta-carotene also helps the free radical to oxidize cholesterol in the bloodstream and after the free radicals were oxidized than the cholesterol builds up blood vessel walls, initiating the development of atherosclerosis which result of either of them could be a heart attack or stroke.
Free radical damage is a major factor in other diseases such as asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. The beta-carotene that is found in basil may help to lessen the degree of the progress of this disease in a person and basil will help protect the cells from further damage.
Basil is rich in minerals such as magnesium which helps to promote cardiovascular health by prompting muscles and blood vessels to relax and helps to improve the blood flow. Magnesium also helps to lessen the risk of an irregular heart rhythm or a spasm of the heart muscles or the blood vessels.
Many naturopathic doctors prescribed basil to help fight against diabetics, respiratory disorders, allergies, impotent, and infertility. This may be because basil contains cinnamic acid, which has been found to enhance circulation, stabilize blood sugar levels, and improve breathing in respiratory disease.
Fresh basil leaves and basil oil has antibacterial properties that make them useful in disinfecting surfaces, applying the leaves to wounds may help prevent infections and promote healthy healing. Basil is used in cooking or taken as a nutritional supplement to help fight against the common cold, flu, and the herpes family of viruses.
Chamomile Benefits
Chamomile is a flower used in many cultures to make Chamomile Tea for centuries and it helps to prevent many health problems. The active ingredients in Chamomile are known as bisabolol which contains many anti-irritants, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial properties.
For medical natural healing stick with the plain Chamomile Tea and since Chamomile Tea has such a mild taste, some manufacturers add another flavor to spice it up. Some herbalists and alternative healers like German Chamomile are the best.
Chamomile can be used daily to help prevent this everyday occurrences such as anxiety attacks, insomnia, other sleep problems, panic attacks, muscles twitches, wounds, burns, scrapes, psoriasis, eczema, chickenpox, diaper rash, menstrual cramps, stomach flu, and ulcers.
People that are suffering from stomach and intestinal cramps would do good to drink two cups of Chamomile Tea daily while the symptoms are present. Chamomile has been found to contain strong antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties. Chamomile relieves cramping and pain in the bowels and helps to relieve excess gas pressure and bloating in the intestines will be helped if the person drinks a cup of Chamomile Tea daily which will help relieve Irritable Bowel Syndrome, nausea, gastroenteritis, or the stomach flu.
People that suffer from a migraine headache would reap the benefits if they would drink a cup of Chamomile Tea when the symptoms first appear and before a headache gets too severe. Putting some Chamomile Oil into your bath water and soaking in it will help the person relax. A migraine headache that comes from stress and frustration will ease away as the person soaks in a hot Chamomile Oil tub. The Chamomile Oil gives off a pungent fragrance which will also help the person relax.
People who are suffering from sleeplessness, unreasonable excitement, uneasiness, and excessive nervousness can help to prevent those symptoms by drinking a cup of Chamomile daily. In America, people that drink Chamomile put a little honey or sugar.
Chamomile oil is useful in treating bad burns by simply rubbing a small amount of the oil across the burned area once a day. For burns and scrapes, use three tea bags in one cup of water and dip a washcloth into the cup. Using the damp cloth as compresses apply it to the wounded area.
Making a hot infused tub to soak in will help to soften mucus membranes and render anti-inflammatory effects. Simply fill a tub with hot water and put in Chamomile bath beads, baking soda, and honey. Breathing over the mixture will help to soften the mucus membranes enough that a person will not have trouble breathing. The mixture will help the person to feel content and relaxed.
Putting tea bags on the eyelids will help to get rid of the itchy eyes and dark circles. Wrap the hot tea bags in a towel and put them on your eyelids for at least five minutes.
Elder Benefits
The use of herbal remedies, including the herb elder, also known as the common elder, classified as Sambucus Nigra are popular as an alternative to Western allopathic medicine for a variety of problems which includes herpes simplex, fever blister, rheumatic problems as well as being used to soothe the respiratory tract.
Elder is a plant with strong therapeutic effects which can be used to treat and prevent many diseases. Elder is a tree that is four to five meters tall with its branches and stems covered in greenish-ashen bark having white herbage in its interior. The leaves have cogged margins and the flowers are white with a pleasant odor. The fruit is black, shiny, and small with three longish seeds inside. The plant can be found in mountainous areas and sometimes in valley ravines where the sun doesn’t shine directly onto the tree. The flowers are usually harvested when two-thirds of the tree has blossomed and the fruit is usually harvested in autumn when the fruit is black. A person can use the bark, flowers, and fruit for many reasons.
Elder is a strong antiviral medicine used for stimulating healing of the degenerative disease, preventing cancerous diseases, and controlling benign tumors. For this, a thirty-day diet is recommended with tincture from the Elder fruit which helps to activate the immune system in the human body.
Elder also helps to prevent intestine worms in the human body while the flowers, fruit, and juice obtained from the fruit can calm neuralgia. It is also helpful in these diseases and is rheumatism, diseases of the respiratory system, or sciatica. The bark of the Elder tree is recommended for nephritis and edemas. The tea of the Elder tree helps to detoxify the human body which helps to prevent the common cold, cases of flu, and bronchitis.
Elder can also be used as a natural remedy to prevent obesity because of its laxative properties and its properties for eliminating water from the human body tissues. It eliminates the harmful toxins from the body through the urine and perspiration, it increases the secretory activity of the sudorific gland and it intervenes directly through dropsy.
The Elderflower tea is obtained by boiling fifty grams of flowers in water for three minutes and the elder fruit juice is prepared with twenty grams of fruit mixed with a tablespoon of honey to be taken in the morning on an empty stomach as a laxative.
The Elder tree can be used to prevent or reduce the symptoms of herpes simplex, fever blister, rheumatic problems, reduce fever, boost the immune system, inflammation, soothe the respiratory tract, ear infection, stimulate circulation, healing, and constipation.
Elder is a bitter, pungent, cooling herb. The fruit and the flower are used to reduce fevers, reduce inflammation, soothe irritation, and have a diuretic and anti-mucus effect, while the leaves are insecticidal.
The flowers have diuretic, laxative, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties while the fruit itself has antioxidant properties.
Lavender Benefits
Lavender is a common and very popular herb that everyone likes the fragrance that it gives off. This is due to many reasons and some of the reasons are the many uses for dried lavender around the house, the fragrance that it gives off, and the plant can thrive in gardens as well as planted in pots. Lavender plants can be grown by any gardener as long as they take these steps to establish their roots and the plants themselves.
Lavender plants need at least six hours of full sunlight each day and soil that is well-drained. A soil mixture that contains higher sand content than clay content will produce a healthier lavender plant and more abundant healthy lavender baby plants. When establishing a new lavender plant make sure to put peat moss all around the new plant and the garden must make sure that the new lavender plant gets enough water to drink during the first season. After the lavender plant has been established, the plant is quite resilient and the plant will be able to handle drought conditions.
The Lavender plant grows as a small shrub that has tiny purple flowers and lavender is a very fragrant herb that scents the air with its aroma. When the lavender is dried, the fragrance is very strong and can be smelled by everyone. Dried lavender is usually used to make sachets and is the scent that the manufactory put in lotions, soaps, bubble baths, creams, and perfumes. It can also be used in cooking and to make lavender oil.
Dried lavender flowers are used to prepare a series of natural remedies with cicatrizant, antiseptic, calming, and relaxing effects. With dried lavender flowers containing tannin, a bitter substance mineral substance, and essential oils, lavender flowers have an antiseptic, calming, and carminative activity and nerve stimulate effects. They are used to soothe digestive disorders, in cephalalgia as a flavoring, and as corrective agents for hypertension, cardiac disorders, headaches, insomnia, melancholia, dizziness, or bronchial asthma.
For people suffering from headaches, anxiety attacks, rheumatism, or distension, a person should consume one to two cups of hot lavender tea to help reduce the symptoms of the mentioned problems. If a person is suffering from insomnia, the sleeper should put one to two drops on their pillowcases to give the fragrance time to get their nose and help the person relax enough to go to sleep.
Lavender tea is made by adding two teaspoons of dried lavender flowers to an eight ounces cup of boiling water. The lavender tea should be drunk while hot and sweetened with honey. This lavender tea is good to help fight against headaches and stress.
Lavender bath water is prepared by putting the dried lavender flower in a small linen bag and they will filter into the hot water of the bathtub. I position my bag, so both the cold and hot water has to run through the small linen bag which gives me a soothing and relaxing soak in the bathtub.
Linden Flowers Benefits
For many years, herbal teas have been sources of research studies to find out the exact properties that can be used for medicinal reasons. Linden Flowers contain some unique properties that can get rid of many symptoms of various ailments and provide many health benefits to the human body. Linden is a herb that is native to North America, part of Asia, and Europe and has been used as an herbal remedy in Europe for centuries.
Linden is a herb that comes from the Tilia tree and this tree is also commonly called a lime tree. The flowers of the tree are steeped and made into a tea that has been consumed for centuries in Europe for a variety of medicinal purposes.
Linden Flowers have been used to prevent a common cough and common cold. The aromatic fragrance of the Linden Flowers helps to alleviate a stuffy nose, clear nasal passage and helps to get rid of the mucus in the throat. The Linden Flowers contain tannins that act as an astringent and have mucilage properties which means that it coats your throat and intestines and helps to soothe and reduce the inflammation in the body.
Linden Flowers have been used for many years to reduce the stress on the body and Linden Flowers have a calming effect on many people which helps to reduce anxiety in a person. Because of the soothing effect that Linden Flowers have on a person, Linden Flowers have been added to various types of skin care such as soaps, moisturizers, and lotions. Linden Flower Teas have also been used to soothe nerves and help to treat anxiety-related health problems.
Research studies have been done on Linden Flowers and the results have been that Linden Flowers are used to help prevent stomach problems and relieve gas pressure. Linden Flower has an antispasmodic that helps to prevent muscular contraction and Linden Flowers Tea, also acts as a diuretic that helps to get rid of excess body fluid. Linden Flowers also acts as a sedative that has a calming effect on people and aids in relaxing a person enough that they will get a restful sleep.
The dried Linden Flowers are used to make Linden Flower Teas and consuming Linden Flower Teas, will act as a diaphoretic which will help to boost the body’s immune system and will make it more effective to fight off a common cold. Linden Flower has anti-inflammatory properties that are used to treat digestive disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Linden Flower Tea is used to prevent headaches and incontinence which is the inability to control urine output. Linden Flower Tea has also been used to prevent these ailments such as helping treat mild gallbladder problems, upset stomach, and indigestion, ease nasal congestion, lower high blood pressure, and reduce excessive gas.
When using Linden Flower Tea is consumed as a hot tea, Linden acts as a diaphoretic, which means that it helps to slightly raise your body’s temperature and promotes sweating. This is a positive thing since harmful microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria cannot survive in elevated body temperatures. Linden also helps the body’s immune system to fight against infections.
Rhodiola Benefits
Rhodiola is also known by these names and they are arctic root, golden root, rosewort, and roseroot. This herb belongs to the Crassulaceae family and its genus, Rhodiola contains over two hundred different species. The Rhodiola Rosea is the only one used for its many different health benefits.
Rhodiola is distinguished by its spiky blue-green leaves which have yellow flowers and it is the plant’s roots that are needed for its medical properties. The roots contain many antioxidants, tannins, flavonoids, and Rosavins, an active compound that is believed to produce antidepressant and anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effects.
Native to Northern Europe, Central Asia, and parts of North America, Rhodiola is common in Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union. This plant can be found in cold mountainous locations throughout the world because it needs high altitudes and low temperatures to survive.
Rhodiola was first documented by the Romans during the first century A. D. as a headache medicine and thereafter as a general tonic that helped to cure ailments that range from fatigue to impotence to infections. Soviet scientists began to research the Rhodiola for military application as well as its possible uses by cosmonauts.
This is how Rhodiola is used to help fight certain types of body diseases and ailments. Such as an adaptogen that will help the body handle all types of stress because it tones down the sympathetic nervous system and increases the relaxing parasympathetic system. People that were given Rhodiola showed signs of beta-endorphin in the brain which is a stress-relieving, feel-good, analgesic peptide.
Rhodiola has also been used as an antidepressant, helps to prevent emotional stress, improves endurance levels, shortens recovery after strenuous exercise, improves physical performance, increases the attention span, improves memory, improves mental performance, increases strength and mobility, increased blood insulin, and decreased glucagon, increase liver glycogen where the excess sugar is stored, increase blood supply to the brain and the muscles, helps remove ammonia from the body, optimizes serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitter levels in the brain, helps to maintain high levels of creatine phosphate in the cellular mitochondria, and the list goes on and on. Rhodiola is a miracle herb that seems to help the body with many health benefits.
The main thing here to remember is that Rhodiola is an adaptogen which means that it is fighting to keep the whole body in balance while relieving stress (emotional, physical, chemical, or biological), and not producing any side effects for the human being. The idea is that bodies in balance will perform better than a body that is out of balance.
The approach to healing the body in the United States is that whatever we have pain we take a pill for that certain pain and another pain would mean another pill to pop. We need to treat the whole body as a unit instead of treating each ailment differently. Rhodiola addresses the issue of healing the body as a whole instead of just parts of it at certain times.
Rosemary Benefits
Lavender is first and then comes rosemary being one of the most utilized and lovable plants in aromatherapy. The uses for rosemary have extended through time first as a seasoning in our cooking to medicine and then finally to the perfume industry. Rosemary has been a success in the perfume industry because of its aromatizing properties.
Rosemary looks like a small sprig from an evergreen tree and has a pine fragrance to the spring. The pungent flavor of rosemary goes a long way to help season these types of dishes and they are chicken, lamb, pork, salmon, and tuna dishes. Rosemary also helps soups and sauces with their pungent taste.
The herb, rosemary grows on a small evergreen shrub that belongs to the Labiatae family that is also related to the mint family. Its leaves look like flat pine-tree needles which look deep green color on top while the underside is a silver-white color.
Quickly rinse the rosemary sprig off with cool running water and pat dry with a towel. Most recipes call for rosemary leaves, which can easily be removed from the stem or you can add the whole sprig of rosemary to season soups, stews, and meat dishes. Simply remove the rosemary sprig before serving the dish.
Fresh rosemary should be stored in the refrigerator in the original wrapping or a slightly damp paper towel. You can also place the rosemary sprig in ice cube trays and cover it with water or stock that can be added when preparing soups or stews. Dried rosemary should be kept in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dark, dry place where it will be kept fresh for about six months.
Here are some of the ways that rosemary can be used while we are cooking and they are by adding fresh rosemary to omelets and frittatas, is a wonderful way of seasoning chicken and lamb dishes, adding fresh rosemary to tomato sauces and tomato soups, and pureeing fresh rosemary leaves with olive oil which can be used as a dipping sauce for bread.
Rosemary is a rich supply of calcium and iron as well as dietary fiber. Fresh rosemary has twenty-five percent more manganese than dried rosemary. Fresh rosemary has forty percent less calcium and iron than dried rosemary which is because of the higher water content.
Rosemary contains substances that are useful for stimulating the immune system, increasing circulation, and improving the digestion of the human body. The herb also contains anti-inflammatory compounds that help it reduce the severity of an asthma attack and rosemary has been shown to increase the blood flow to the head and brain while improving the concentration of the human being.
The consumption of rosemary helps in the digestive tract, fights against obesity, liver diseases, gastritis cholesterolemia, bronchial asthma, and edemas, and adjusts the heart’s fast heartbeat that is caused by irritable, coffee, or tobacco excess. Because of its antiseptic and tonic properties, rosemary is extremely important in cases of fainting, influenza, hangovers, asthma, bronchitis, cramps, constipation, cystitis, headaches, colds, coughs, sinusitis, or muscular pains. Rosemary also helps blood circulation and blood pressure.
Yarrow Benefits
Yarrow was once known as “nosebleed”, its feathery leaves making an ideal astringent for making the blood clot and Yarrow skin washes can staunch bleeding and help to keep infection away from cuts and scrapes. If a woman having a heavy menstrual period would drink this tea on the days her period is the heaviest, Yarrow tea would help to slow down the heaviest days of her menstrual period.
This herb is a good herb to have around to fight against common colds and fevers because a cup of Yarrow tea can make the body sweat which cools the fever and helps the body expel any harmful free radicals in the body.
Yarrow is a herb plant that we mostly as we drive along the countryside growing wild and this herb has been around for many, many centuries. This herb plant was mostly used for decorating the outside of a house and in the garden. We see this herb growing wild mostly in Europe and North America.
This herb plant has also played an important role in herbal remedies with the use of its flowers, leaves, stem, and roots for various herbal preparation and homemade remedies. Centuries ago, this herb was used to heal sores and wounds, reduce swelling and inflammation, heal skin ulcers, cuts, burns, insect stings, and all kinds of skin disorders such as rashes, itching, and redness.
Yarrow also has properties that will help cure a common cold, flu, sore throat, whooping cough, chest pains, fever, and the symptoms of asthma. It can also cure the symptoms of arthritis, and sore muscles, reducing the pain in the joints as well as the lower back, cramping from menstrual periods, and cramps from the menstrual periods.
This herb has also been known to help by easing the contraction of muscles and nerves which helps to reduce the risk of chronic headaches and migraines. There is a tea made out of Yarrow and it is good for people that have digestive problems, heartburn, bloating, and ingestion. Yarrow can help to get rid of some types of diseases and they are urinary infections, hemorrhoids, diabetics, and problems with gallbladder infections. This disease can be helped by drinking one or two cups of Yarrow tea a day.
Yarrow is a rich source of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, soothing, anti-spasmodic, regulating, astringent, diaphoretic, carminative, and hemostatic. In China, Yarrow is used fresh as a poultice for healing wounds, and a decoction of the whole plant is prescribed to help heal stomach ulcers, amenorrhea, and abscesses.
Yarrow Tea can be made from either fresh or dried flower cut leaves and flower heads. The bitter taste can be masked by using sweeter herbs and a teaspoon of honey. The fresh-cut leaves can be used as a poultice to stop bleeding.
The Yarrow herb has these positive effects on the body and they are helping to improve cardiovascular conditions, regulate blood pressure, purify the blood, regulate the menstrual period, repair worn-out or damaged body tissues, remove heat and toxins from the human body, stimulating normal circulatory system, and stimulates the flow of bile.
Oregano Benefits
In Greek mythology, the word Oregano is meant to mean “ the joy of the mountain” and has its origins in the ancient Greek “Oros” (mountain) and “Ganos” (joy). According to Greek mythology, the scent of oregano was created by the goddess Aphrodite as a representation of happiness. The herb has been cultivated for centuries and is now available around the world. Oregano is known to have antioxidant powers, antibacterial properties, and also reported anti-aging benefits.
In ancient times, healers used oregano to treat many different illnesses and ailments. These included treatment for asthma attacks, a pain reliever for headaches and migraines, ointment to be applied to insect bites and even used as a poison antidote. Oregano is still used to help aid these ailments today, however, we see it more in the foods and beverages we consume daily. Consuming oregano has been shown to offer us great rewards in many ways.
Oregano also has a great source of fiber. However, because it is not eaten in large quantities, most people do not know about its fiber content. Even though we consume oregano as a beverage or as an herb ingredient in recipes, its fiber is still beneficial to us.
The antioxidants that oregano contains help protect your cells against free radicals that are often associated with and the cause of the aging process. These antioxidants also offer protection against arthritis, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease.
Oregano also offers antibacterial properties. For thousands of years, people would use oregano oil as an antibacterial ointment for skin infections and wounds. These anti-viral and anti-bacterial assets of oregano are still utilized today in treating colds and viruses. With some types of ailments, a few drops of oregano oil are placed under the tongue or they can be applied directly to the skin. For best results when consuming orally, dilute the oregano oil with water first.
Some researchers believe that compounds such as carvacrol and thymol that are found in oregano can help prevent lung disease. They suggest brewing and consuming at least three cups of oregano flowers every day to alleviate and reduce digestive problems, intestinal cramps, and acid reflux.
In comparison to other foods, oregano has 42 times more antioxidant powers the apples, oranges, blueberries, and potatoes! You can use oregano tea and drink it to help alleviate food poisoning symptoms, fight both internal and external bacterial infections, and it can even help with seasonal allergies, and asthma flare-ups, and act as a cough suppressant.
Topical ways to take advantage of oregano oil are using acne, sores, warts, and insect bites. The oil has been found to reduce swelling, pain, and itching. It also has been shown to treat the virus, bacteria, or infection and promote recovery.
So whether you sprinkle it in your pasta sauce, or your pizza, or brew yourself a nice hot cup of oregano, you will be getting a great number of health benefits and nutrition. If you do not care for the taste of oregano or do not use it often in your recipes, oil of oregano as well as oregano daily supplements can be found at your local health store.
Green Tea Benefits
Green tea has been around for over 4000 years and originated in China. It has always been known by the Chinese and Japanese as a medicinal herb, however, in recent years, scientists have taken a closer look at the tea and have found some astounding results on its benefits to our overall health. Recently, the media put a great deal of attention on green tea, expressing and promoting its anti-aging and antioxidant elements. It seems that everywhere we look, green tea is not only a tasty beverage, but now comes in the form of hair care products, facial cleansers, diet pills, and even perfumes. So what form of green tea is truly beneficial and what exactly are its benefits?
Green tea contains polyphenols, which gives the beverage its unique flavor as well as its antioxidant properties. Green tea contains more forms of polyphenols than oolong or black tea. Caffeine is also an active ingredient in green tea, which gives the consumer alertness and a stimulating feeling.
Recent studies have shown that green tea can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease as well as cancer. These studies also stated that consuming green tea has been shown to lower cholesterol levels and lower the chances of stroke. Catechins, which are forms of polyphenols, are currently being researched in cancer studies because of their antioxidant and anticancer properties. Green tea also has minimal processing, which allows the consumer to gain the full benefit of the epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG, found in catechins).
The first topic the media seemed to jump on when green tea became a popular topic of interest was its benefits in weight loss. Hundreds of different types of diet pills that contained some sort of green tea or extract were plastered all over the market, claiming they could help you lose weight drastically. Regardless of if these were just claims or if they work, green tea has been proven to speed up your metabolism after consumption. It is a known fact that the faster your metabolism is, the quicker you can lose weight and keep it off. So in theory, consuming green tea regularly could very well assist in weight loss and maintaining a trim waistline.
Green tea has also been used in arthritis patients. A recent study was completed and found that individuals, who suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis, seem to experience less joint pain after adding green tea to their daily diet. Scientists also believe that the EGCG in green tea may help protect against cartilage deterioration.
Sick of getting sick? Once again, the catechins in green tea have a great deal of antioxidant power and can help increase your immune system greatly. Regular consumption of green tea either as a beverage or in supplement form has shown in studies that individuals’ blood contained more anti-bacterial proteins than individuals who did not consume green tea.
In addition to boosting your immune system, studies have shown that the antibacterial properties found in green tea, have also been linked as an effective treatment for Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. Green tea has also been proven to reduce allergy outbreaks, prevent acne, slow the aging process, therefore reduce the onset of wrinkles, and even prevent tooth decay!
There are so many benefits to green tea that it’s just not even a question of whether or not you should be including it in your daily diet. This is an easy and inexpensive beverage you can add to your diet! Start reaping the antioxidant rewards of green tea and drink up.
Mint Benefits
Mint is an herb that has many ways to be used and here are some of the ways to use it. Mints are usually used to garnish pies, in ice tea fresh or dried garnish, crumbled into soups especially the cold summer soups, tossing it onto summer fruit for a fresh flavor enhancer, brew it in teas and fresh citrus drinks, boiled as potpourri, hung dry mint as a natural air freshener, and summer dishes. The cool flavor of mint is a refreshing taste on a hot day in the summer and it grows wild by cool running streams and in ravines. There are two common tastes of mint and they are spearmint and peppermint.
Remember, when planting mint that this plant will quickly take over the garden, and one way to prevent the mint plant from taking over is by first planting the mint plant in a clay pot. Then sinking the clay pot into the soil of your garden, but this requires monthly checking to make sure the roots do not creep out of the clay pot.
Mint plants love the shade, but if it does too much, the plant will become leggy having fewer leaves. A good time to replant a runner would be in the early summer after the last frost and make sure the plant gets good airflow from the soil. If the soil seems heavy, mix in some pea gravel, bark chips, or coir. Keeping the plant well irrigated and well weeded is two important to remember.
Mint is easy to plant inside or to be brought inside from the garden. Place the runner in a ten-inch pot with good compost and keep it trimmed to six inches in height. This way the mint plant will bush out rather than sprawl over the pot. Mint plants tend to get rust spots, an orange growth that can invade the plant’s leaves, and when the gardener sees these spots, they should cut those leaves off the plant. Remember, that bugs love mint plants just as much as humans do.
Mint plants contain a good amount of these vitamins which are Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, folic acid, thiamine, and riboflavin. Mint plants contain these minerals as well as the above-mentioned vitamins and they are calcium, copper, fluoride, iron, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc.
Mint leaves brewed in teas or hot water has been effective in soothing digestive problems and stomach cramps for many centuries. It is also a mouth refresher, a natural diuretic, relieves Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and colitis, and helps to reduce the pain of hemorrhoids.
Mint oil can be used to open up the sinus because of the menthol in it, also as a muscle rub, and herbalists believe that mint can be used to open the mind and calm the nerves when the fragrance is inhaled. The plant has some antioxidant properties and can be used for anti-itch relief for bug bites or on any other skin irritations.
Neem Benefits
The Neem Tree is known all over the world as “The Tree of Life” and the first mention of the Neem Tree dates back over a thousand years to the Indian Subcontinent. The Neem Tree has been the source of recent research projects and most of them have been promising results. Entire villages in India depended on the Neem Tree to maintain the health of the villagers and different parts of the Neem Tree have been shown to have antiseptic, antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. The Indian poets have called the Neem Tree “SarvaRogaNivarini “which means “The One that cures all ailments”.
The Neem Tree has been called “The Village Pharmacy” because bark, leaves, sap, fruits, seeds, and sap are used for many different medicines by the Indian people. This part of the Mahogany family is held in high esteem because of its many centuries of use for different medicinal reasons. It has been traced back as far as four thousand years.
The Neem Tree has been shown to help the skin in certain ways and those are the neem oil seems to cure acne, skin rashes, and burns, often applied to external wounds or cut to prevent the risk of infections and promote healing, reduces the itchiness and redness caused by eczema, reduces the frequent breakout of acne, reduces the reduces and inflammation of acne, and is added to cosmetic soaps and lotion to help treat dry skin and prevent wrinkles.
Neem Oil is added right to the scalp to prevent the aging of gray hair, and reduce hair loss, is massaged into the scalp to treat and prevent dandruff.
Neem has been actively used to prevent arthritis and the progress of the disease is applied directly to the skin to prevent muscle aches and joint pain and is massaged directly onto the lower part of the back to relieve the pain associated with lower back problems, to treat the swelling, pain, and inflammation of arthritis.
Neem is used to treat indigestion, acidity, heartburn, stomach pains, and constipation. Neem tea is often prepared to give to the patient for any stomach concerns. Neem is believed to be a powerful cleanser and removes any toxins that are found in the bloodstream and the bark of the Neem Tree is used to help boost the body’s immunity and help build resistance to diseases.
People who are suffering from diabetics have used Neem to treat and relieve diabetics by controlling the blood glucose levels and increasing insulin sensitivity. Neem has also been used to prevent certain types of cancer and research studies are being done to see what properties are useful in treating and preventing cancer. Studies are also being done to see if Neem can reduce the size of the tumor in cancer patients.
The twigs are used as a natural toothbrush to clean the teeth and gums while promoting oral health. Mouthwash and Neem-based toothpaste have been used to prevent tooth decay, treat inflamed gums, and help prevent cavities. Neem seems to stimulate and strengthen gum tissues and helps to prevent gum disease and gingivitis.
Oolong Tea Benefits
Oolong Tea has a fruity flavor fragrance and this tea is very tasty when it hits your tongue. The person will be thinking of the many health benefits while the stomach is waiting for the delicious aroma to hit it. Oolong Tea is a good way to stave off the afternoon snack and lose some weight that way.
Oolong Tea and all other tea come from this one plant called Camellia Sinensis. If the tea does not come from this plant, then it is not considered tea. Oolong Tea originated in China and is a semi-fermented tea which makes it different from black and green teas.
The plant has learned how to protect itself from photosynthetic stressors by forming chemical compounds known as polyphenols. These polyphenols including flavonoids have the same beneficial compounds and antioxidants that make fruit and vegetables good for the body.
All the types of tea are green when picked and the difference from Oolong Tea to the other tea is the way that it is handled after being picked. All the green teas are heated to halt the process of the natural enzymatic reaction which is called the oxidation of the leaves. Once dried, the leaves are then rolled to intentionally break the cell structure.
Oolong Tea is done differently after being picked and dried, the tea is left to oxidant under special controlled conditions. The leaves are not rolled which means leaving the cell structure to be unbroken and that is where the Oolong Tea is different from other teas in the way it is handled after being plucked off the plant and dried.
There are two main ways to lose weight and they are the increase in energy expenditure and inhibiting the absorption of natural nutrients which include fats and carbohydrates. The caffeine in tea is stimulating and increases metabolism.
A Chinese scientific study done in the year 1998 on one hundred and twenty ladies has shown that Oolong Tea is good at reducing and maintaining body weight. This study and other studies done on Oolong Tea have come to the result that Oolong Tea can tell the body to burn body fat for energy.
People that are suffering from heart disease, inflammatory disorders, and high cholesterol levels would benefit from drinking one cup of Oolong Tea daily Oolong Tea helps by providing important antioxidants, promoting superior bone structure, healthy skin, and good dental health.
This tea is a wonder to mankind with the many health benefits that this wonderful tea has in it and these are some of the health benefits that are helped by drinking Oolong Tea. They are reducing blood cholesterol, remove harmful free radicals, and helping to treat skin diseases such as eczema.
Oolong Tea has powerful anti-oxidants in it plus minerals such as calcium, manganese, copper, and potassium. It helps to promote strong bones and teeth since Oolong Tea has calcium in it and has been able to relieve oneself from stress.
Aloe Benefits
The aloe plant was first found in Northern Africa and this plant is used for the herbal properties that it contains. Extracts from the Aloe plant were first done in the first century A.D. and are widely used in the cosmetic and alternative medicine industry, for the plant is known to have rejuvenating healing, and soothing properties.
Aloe Vera is a very short-stemmed or stemless succulent plant that can grow as tall as twenty-nine to thirty-four inches and bush out as the offsets continue with the growth of the plant. The leaves are thick and fleshy, green to gray-green, with some of the types showing white flecks on the upper and lower stem surfaces. The margin of the leaves is serrated and has small white teeth. The flowers are produced in the summer on a spike that is thirty-five inches tall and each flower is pendulous with a yellow tubular corolla that is either zero points eight to one point two inches long.
Common names for this plant are Chinese Aloe, Indian Aloe, True Aloe, Barbados Aloe, Burn Aloe, and First Aid plant. This plant was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and was described again on April 6, 1768, by Nicolaas Laurens Burman. Philip Moore also described this plant in the Gardeners Dictionary on April 16, 1768.
Aloe Vera has been grown as an ornamental plant and this plant is popular among gardeners as a medicinal plant. This plant can survive in areas with low natural rainfall which makes it ideal to be grown in the Rockies.
When this plant is planted in pots, this plant requires well-drained sandy potting soil and sunny conditioners. In hot, humid, sunny areas, the plant should be protected from the direct sun or rainfall. This plant easily burns or turns mushy not protected from either of the weather conditions. When this plant is in a pot, the plant should be able to dry out completely before re-watering is necessary. When the pot became too crowded because of little plants growing out of the main plant, the whole plant should be divided and re-potted due to overcrowding and pest control. During the winter months, the plant becomes dormant and requires little moisture at this time.
Here is a list of health benefits that one single aloe vera plant prevents the growth of cancer tumors, lowers high cholesterol, boosts the oxygenation of your blood, eases inflammation, soothes arthritis pain, protects the body from oxidative stress, prevents kidney stones, cures ulcers, cure Irritable Bowel Syndrome, prevents digestive disorders, prevents high blood pressure natural, nourishes the body with mineral, vitamins, enzymes, and glyco-nutrients, helps the healing process of physical burns and radiation burns, prevents colon cancer, heals the intestines, lubricant the digestive tract, prevent constipation, helps the blood sugar return to normal, reduces triglycerides in diabetics, prevents and treats candida infection, boosts cardiovascular performance, speeds recovery from injuries, and accelerates skin repair.
Aloe Vera is an important plant to have in every household just to take care of burns plus the other disease that was mentioned above.
Dill Benefits
Dill is a plant that grows on a slender stalk and the leaves are described as being fine, delicate, and soft to the touch. The flowers are white to yellow and about two to nine cm in diameter. The seeds are about four to five mm long and one mm thick, straight to slightly curved with a rigid surface.
Dill originated within an area around the Mediterranean Sea and the South of Russia. Dill has been described as a wild and wild type of dill that is widespread in the Mediterranean Basin and West Asia. The earliest report of finding dill was reported around the late Neolithic lakeshore settlement in Switzerland.
Fresh dill contains thiamine, Vitamin A, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B, folate, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, and copper.
Calcium is important for reducing bone loss that occurs after menopause and with some diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Calcium plus the iron that is supplied in dill makes strong bones and teeth.
Dill shares the spotlight with garlic as both of them have bacteriostatic or bacteria-regulating effects. Studies are going about dill and preventing bacterial overgrowth.
A compound of dill has been shown to activate the enzyme glutathione-S-transferase, which helps to attach the anti-oxidant molecule glutathione to oxidize the molecules that would harm the body.
Fresh and dried dill leaves are used as herbs mainly in Sweden, Finland, the Baltic, Russia, and Central Asia. Dill seed can be used to soothe stomach problems after a meal and dill oil comes from the leaves, stems, and seeds of the plant.
Dill is best used when it is fresh because it will lose its flavor rapidly if dried. Freeze-dried dill leaves preserve their flavor, but only for a few months. Dill is the eponymous ingredient in making dill pickles.
Dill provides a tangy taste to pickles, salad dressing, potatoes, cucumbers, and fish dishes. A person can add dill to cream sauces, salad dressing, and dips. Fresh dill is available in markets starting during the summer and stopping when it is early fall. Dried dill is available throughout the whole year.
Dill will lose its flavor when it’s heated, so always add dill to cooked dishes at the last minute. Avoid dried dill because it has little flavor
Depending on where the dill grows is whether it is considered a perennial or annual herb. Dill is the sole species of the genus Anethum, though some botanists call it by another name. That name is Peucedanum graveolens.
When cultivating dill, it must be done in warm to hot summers and requires high sunshine levels. Partially shade will reduce the amount the planter gets dramatically. Dill prefers rich, well-drained soil. The seeds used will give you a dill plant from three years to five years. It makes a good companion plant for cucumbers and a poor companion to tomatoes and carrots. The seed is harvested by cutting the flower heads off the stalks when the seed is beginning to ripen. Place the seeds’ heads upside down in a paper bag and leave them in a warm, dry place for a week. The seeds are then separated for easier handling and storage in airtight containers.
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