Cinnamon & Honey

Facts on Honey and Cinnamon:

 

It is found that a mixture of honey and Cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a 'Ram Ban' (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without side effects for any kind of diseases.

Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, when it is taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm even diabetic patients. Researched by western scientists:

HEART DISEASES:

 

Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply it on bread instead of jelly and jam and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also, those who have already had an attack, when they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as one ages the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and the veins.

ARTHRITIS:

 

Arthritis patients may take daily (morning and night) one cup of hot water with two tablespoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. When taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week (out of the 200 people so treated) practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain -- and within a month, most all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis now started walking without pain.

BLADDER INFECTIONS:

 

Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.

CHOLESTEROL:

 

Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water given to a cholesterol patient was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, when taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS:

 

Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and, clear the sinuses.

UPSET STOMACH:

 

Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from its root.
GAS: According to the studies done in India and Japan, it is revealed that when Honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM:

 

Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacterial and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of Honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles (where DNA is contained) to fight bacterial and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION:

 

Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food is eaten relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.

INFLUENZA:

 

A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural 'Ingredient' which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY:

 

Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Use four teaspoons of honey, one teaspoon of cinnamon powder, and three cups of boiling water to make a tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans increase and even a 100 year old will start performing the chores of a 20-year-old.

RASPY OR SORE THROAT:

 

When throat has a tickle or is raspy, take one tablespoon of honey and sip until gone. Repeat every three hours until throat is without symptoms.

SKIN INFECTIONS:

 

Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin Infections.

WEIGHT LOSS:

 

Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast and on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. When taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER:

 

Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder three times a day for one month.

FATIGUE:

 

Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, even when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, when taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M., the vitality of the body increases within a week.

 

HEARING LOSS:

 

Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restores hearing.

You might want to share this information with a friend, kinfolks and loved ones.

Analyzing Green Tea Leaves and Supplements

Quality control is a key factor in making sure green tea dietary supplement products pack the same antioxidant punch as green tea leaves used for brewing beverages, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists.

Green tea-based dietary supplements have gained popularity in the U.S. market in recent years. But when it comes to sipping green tea versus taking the dietary supplement form, the better choice relative to health is unknown.

Scientists with USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Beltsville, Md., studied the differences between phytochemicals in green tea dietary supplements and green tea leaves used for brewing beverages. ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency.

Chemist Pei Chen, with the ARS Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, headed the study. Chen and colleagues Jianqhao Sun and Long-Ze Lin analyzed extractions of 20 commercially available green tea dietary supplement products and eight dry green tea leaf samples. They compared the chemical constituents of the samples using an analytical technique called "HPLC/MS." This technique can separate one chemical constituent from another in a complex matrix. The technique also has the ability to identify and quantify chemical constituents accurately.

The study demonstrated that phytonutrients called flavonol glycosides were degraded and that another phytonutrient called catechin had oxidized during manufacturing and storage for many of the green tea supplement samples studied. They also found some additives in the supplements that were not listed on the labels. Brand names were not disclosed in the published study, but the researchers noted that most major dietary supplement manufacturers were represented.

The researchers concluded that although there are fine green tea dietary supplement products, there is no way for the consumer to know the qualities of those products from reading the labels. In addition, the consumer may ingest other botanical extracts unintentionally, and the quality of those green tea products varies significantly. The 2011 study was published in the Journal of AOAC International. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued “current good manufacturing practices” that require all botanical ingredients in supplements to be identified. To answer the increased demands for valid analytical methods, Harnly chaired an expert review panel that established “Guidelines for Validation of Botanical Identification Methods” for AOAC International (Association of Analytical Communities)—a nonprofit association dedicated to excellence in analytical methods.

Organic and Traditional Differences

Switching to fresh fruit, the BHNRC “Rio Red Grapefruit” study showed that MS fingerprinting, when combined with a pattern-recognition method called “ANOVA-PCA,” could clearly establish that there are chemical differences between grapefruit samples in terms of growing year, harvest time, and farming method (conventional or organic). 

For the study, Harnly and Chen studied samples of Rio Red grapefruit furnished by Gene Lester of the ARS Food Quality Laboratory, also in Beltsville. The grapefruits were grown using conventional and organic cultivation methods. They were harvested at three growing phases (early, mid, and late season) during 2005 and 2006. The juices were analyzed by mass spectrometry with no separation of the molecules. The overlapping mass spectra of all the molecules, or the “spectrometric fingerprint,” is very complex and, like human fingerprints, is analyzed by looking at the overall pattern.

ANOVA-PCA was used to determine whether a distinction could be made between the two cultivation methods and the three harvest dates (growing phases) by analyzing the MS spectral fingerprints of the grapefruit juices. The analysis showed that the chemical patterns of the fingerprints were statistically different among the farming modes, growing years, and times of harvest, regardless of the MS method used. 

The results are important in demonstrating that conventional and organic products have different chemical compositions, although it is unknown at this time if these differences have significance to consumers. The 2010 study was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Let’s Not Forget Herbals

American ginseng is one of the most commonly used herbal medicines in the world. But discriminating between ginsengs grown in different countries is difficult using traditional methods.  Chen headed a study involving MS fingerprints and pattern-recognition analysis methods to discriminate between American ginseng grown in the United States and that grown in China. They studied 15 American ginseng samples grown in Wisconsin and 25 samples grown in China. The MS fingerprints, representing the chemical compositions of the samples, made it possible to distinguish between samples grown in the two different locations. 

This research is part of Human Nutrition, an ARS national program (#107) described atwww.nps.ars.usda.gov.

James Harney and Pei Chen are with the USDA-ARS Food Composition and Methods Development Laboratory, 10300 Baltimore Ave., Beltsville, MD 20705-2350; (301) 504-8569, ext. 261 [Harnly], (301) 504-8144, ext. 238 [Chen].

"Digital Detectives Decipher Ingredients" was published in the April 2012 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.

Beat the Cold and Flu Blues With Herbal Remedies

The approach to colds and the flu is comprehensive and holistic. Just as in our most comprehensive and integral health and wellness programs, it works best to look at the whole person, taking into account many different aspects of wellness health care and then nourish and support the body's own natural means of keeping itself well.

If you are interested in a more natural approach to colds and flu and in taking better care of your whole self you should know:

Over the counter drugs that are designed to eliminate the symptoms of the cold - ease congestion, stop the cough, soothe the sore throat - actually interfere with the body's protective immune responses. The condition may seem to get better because of the masking of the symptoms, but actually all that has happened is that the body's natural immune response has been curtailed. Over the counter cold remedies do nothing to fight cold viruses or boost the immune responses so they can have little effect on the duration of colds.

Of the five antihistamines commonly used to treat colds, research shows that only one of them may actually help dry a runny nose.

Researchers have found that over the counter drugs may have no benefit for preschoolers.

Decongestants can produce side effects like jitters and insomnia.

Mucus, tears, and saliva are all saturated with IgA antibodies. Mucus is a genetically engineered antibiotic substance that contains specific antibodies to your current infection. Thus when you take an over the counter decongestant that dries mucus secretions during a cold or flu you may be reducing your immune responses and contributing to lengthening the duration of your infection. It's better to take substances that thin and liquefy the mucus and keep it flowing freely with plenty of liquids.

Herbs like licorice may deal with excess mucus through a moistening action, loosening mucus and making it flow more readily out of the body. Marshmallow and slippery elm are two other herbs that may help to do this.

Echinacea and Goldenseal are probably the most frequently recommended herbs for colds and flu in the United States:

Clinically Echinacea is not generally considered to be a major herb for working with the flu although it is often used as an auxiliary herb. Research suggest that Echinacea may be particularly helpful at the onset of a cold or flu. If taken early enough in the appropriate dosages it may contribute to heading off a cold or flu.

Once the cold is well established, though, Echinacea by itself is not the most effective herbal approach. After the cold or flu has taken hold Echinacea continues to be useful in combination with other herbs and it helps shorten the duration and severity of the infection. By itself Echinacea does not usually knock out a cold or flu.

Taking Goldenseal in the early stages of a cold or flu may actually make the condition worse by drying up the mucus membranes. This inhibits the mucus, saturated with antibodies to fight the bacteria, virus or other microbes, from working.

Clinically Goldenseal is used for subacute and chronic infections of the mucus membranes but it is not usually thought to be appropriate for use in the acute stage.

Goldenseal works as a cleanser and anti-inflammatory. It can be helpful at very specific times in very specific doses in a cold. But there is not a single study that shows that Goldenseal works as a cold fighter.

Even better cold & flu herbs:

Black elder is another traditional herbal remedy that has been shown that it may have good effects on the flu. A recent clinical trail showed that a preparation of black elder ended cases of the flu within three days and also boosted the immune system responses. Oregon grape can be used as a contemporary substitute for Goldenseal and may be much better than even Echinacea for use with the common cold.

Peppermint contains compounds that can relax the airways and open congested sinuses and nasal passages.

Ginger appears to fight inflammation and pain. It also appears to acts as an expectorant and have warming effects that can be helpful if you are chilled.

Yarrow fights inflammation and muscle spasm and promotes sweating. It has long been used against colds and flu.

Thyme is an expectorant and appears to fight microbes. Its flavonoids may help decrease smooth muscle spasm which may assists in opening tight airways.

Mullen is a demulcent which contains mucilagous substances that coat and soothe irritated respiratory linings. It may help to loosen a cough and fight viruses.

More natural herbal remedies:

St. John's Wort has been shown in test tubes studies to inhibit influenza A viruses and parainfluenza virus but not rhinovirus (a cold virus). Osha has traditionally been used in the Rocky Mountains as the most important plant for treating respiratory infections. Osha is used extensively to treat colds, flu, and bronchial infections. The tincture or tea is antibacterial.

Boneset is used as a traditional remedy for the flu. Traditionally, Boneset was used as a major remedy for the flu, fevers, and as a general tonic. It has been used to treat both acute and chronic conditions. In one study the immune stimulating polysaccharides in Boneset were found to be ten times more potent than Echinacea polysaccharides.

An herbal bath may be an effective remedy for easing cold symptoms and increasing immune responses. It may help to nip them in the bud. During the bath the essential oils of the herbs are released by the hot water. These oils are believed to be absorbed through the pores of the skin and through the nose and mouth mucus membranes. Absorption through the mucus membranes may bring the oils into contact with the upper respiratory tract where they are able to exert their antibacterial effects.

Copyright (c) 2008 Mary Ann Copson

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/beat-the-cold-and-flu-blues-with-herbal-remedies-318435.html

Chia Seed: The Omega 3 Power Seed

A lot of people probably remember seeing commercials for Chia Pets – American styled terracotta figurines used to sprout Chia, where the Chia sprouts grow to resemble the figurine’s “fur” or “hair”. Chia Pets were particularly popular in the 1990s and have included such famous faces as Homer Simpson and Scooby Doo; but, who knew Chia seed was actually good for you?

The Chia seed that is used as a food source may not be the same product that was made famous by the Chia pets over a decade ago, but its popularity has never been more significant than it is right now. Chia seed has become the hottest superfood on the market thanks to the huge nutritional punch it packs in just two tablespoons.

Chia is a whole, raw food that is a great source of Omega-3s as well as soluble and insoluble fiber leading to better digestion and regularity, and Chia is also a complete vegetarian protein. It has a mild flavor so you can add it to any meal or drink without the worry that your taste buds will know the difference, which makes it even easier to consume.

One really interesting fact about this nifty little seed is that Chia can absorb ten times its weight in any liquid that surrounds it. When the seeds interact with liquids like water or juice, they quickly form a gel-like substance. This “chia gel” can then help hydrate the body for hours on end. Add Chia to your favorite bottled water or sports drink before a workout or take it with you when hiking on a hot, summer’s day to stay refreshed. Another great side effect of the “chia gel” is that it can help bulk up foods and give the feeling of fullness, which can potentially aid in weight loss.

The “chia gel” can add a great nutritional punch to gruels, porridges, puddings and liquids of any kind while the chia seeds are great for baked goods including breads, cakes and biscuits. They can also serve as an egg substitute thanks to its water-absorbent qualities, which can be helpful when baking.