Turmeric Health Benefits

Turmeric has a peppery, warm and bitter flavor and a mild fragrance slightly reminiscent of orange and ginger, and while it is best known as one of the ingredients used to make curry, it also gives ballpark mustard its bright yellow color.

Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant and has a tough brown skin and a deep orange flesh. Turmeric has long been used as a powerful anti-inflammatory in both the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine. Turmeric was traditionally called "Indian saffron" because of its deep yellow-orange color and has been used throughout history as a condiment, healing remedy and textile dye. 

Health Benefits

Turmeric (Curcuma longa), the bright yellow of the spice rainbow, is a powerful medicine that has long been used in the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat a wide variety of conditions, including flatulence, jaundice, menstrual difficulties, bloody urine, hemorrhage, toothache, bruises, chest pain, and colic.

A Potent, Yet Safe Anti-Inflammatory

The volatile oil fraction of turmeric has demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity in a variety of experimental models. Even more potent than its volatile oil is the yellow or orange pigment of turmeric, which is called curcumin. Curcumin is thought to be the primary pharmacological agent in turmeric. In numerous studies, curcumin's anti-inflammatory effects have been shown to be comparable to the potent drugs hydrocortisone and phenylbutazone as well as over-the-counter anti-inflammatory agents such as Motrin. Unlike the drugs, which are associated with significant toxic effects (ulcer formation, decreased white blood cell count, intestinal bleeding), curcumin produces no toxicity.

Sleep Is Important

Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety.

The way you feel while you're awake depends in part on what happens while you're sleeping. 

During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. In children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development.

The damage from sleep deficiency can occur in an instant (such as a car crash), or it can harm you over time. For example, ongoing sleep deficiency can raise your risk for some chronic health problems. It also can affect how well you think, react, work, learn, and get along with others.

What Is Neem Leaf Good For?

Many people have heard of neem oil as an insecticide, but few are aware of the amazing and varied medicinal properties of neem leaves...

Neem leaf should get the attention it deserves.

So far it doesn't. Not in the western world, that is.

Many people have heard of neem oil as an insecticide, but few are aware of the amazing and varied medicinal properties of neem leaves.

In India the situation is different. Ayurvedic medicine has always strongly relied on the leaf.

Photo by Yeoh Ts via Flickr.com

Over 75% of Ayurvedic remedies contain neem, usually in form of leaf (or extract), sometimes the bark/fruit/flowers, and almost never the oil.

The leaf is also the part of the neem plant that western medicine knows the most about. The majority of scientific neem studies was done with neem leaf or neem leaf extracts.

Neem oil is neem seed oil, not neem leaf oil as some people wrongly assume. It can be made safe for consumption, and especially the use of neem oil for birth control (as a "male pill") continues to generate a lot of interest. However, it really needs special knowledge and treatment before neem oil can be taken internally.

Not so for the leaf. Neem leaves are considered safe to take internally on a regular or daily basis (provided you aren't pregnant or trying to conceive. Seeneem contraception.) In the thousands of years that people across India have been taking neem there have never been any reports of negative side effects from leaves.

Of course, you should still use common sense, as you should with any herbs. Start by trying a little to make sure you don't show any allergic reaction, and generally don't overdo it. As magical as all the medicinal properties sound, neem is not a magical cure all that will simply fix anything if you just take enough... But it can help with a lot, if taken sensibly.

In 2005 scientists published a research report, Medicinal properties of neem leaves: a review. It is a compilation of existing scientific studies and clinical trials. It shows very impressively just how versatile the leaves are. Here is what it says about the benefits of neem leaves:

"Neem leaf and its constituents have been demonstrated to exhibit immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antihyperglycaemic, antiulcer, antimalarial, antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties."

Now that's a mouthful..

-discoverneem.com

Health Benefits of Holy Basil – Tulsi

The health benefits of holy basil, also known as tulsi, include oral care, relief from respiratory disorders, as well as treatment of fever, asthma, lung disorders, heart diseases and stress. Holy Basil, which has the scientific name Ocimum Sanctum is undoubtedly one of the best medicinal herb that has been discovered. It has endless miraculous and medicinal values and has been worshiped and highly valued in India for thousands of years.

Even going close to a Tulsi plant alone can protect you from many infections. A few leaves dropped in drinking water or foods can purify it and can kill germs within it as well. Even smelling it or keeping it planted in a pot indoors can protect the whole family from infections, coughs, colds and other viral infections.

These applications are not at all exaggerated. It has been an age old custom in India to worship it two times a day, water it and light lamps near it, once in the morning and once in the evening. It was, and still is, believed to protect the whole family from evil and bring good luck. Basil leaves have also been an essential part of all worship ceremonies since ancient times. These practices are not superstitions and actually has sufficient scientific reasoning behind them. Keeping in view the ultra disinfectant and germicidal properties of this legendary herb, wise people then devised these customs to bring people into contact with this plant every day, so that they may keep safe from day-to-day infections. Recent research on tulsi confirm most of these beliefs. In the following paragraphs, we shall see why it definitely deserves to be worshiped.

SOTONG BENEFITS TO HEALTH

Most seafood is quite nutritious, as long as it's not deep-fried or cooked with a lot of oil. Restaurants often deep-fry squid and sell it as calamari, but you can prepare it in other, healthier ways as well. Three ounces of raw squid, which equals about 85 grams, contains 80 calories and 13 grams of protein. It also provides you with 20 percent of the recommended daily value for phosphorus, riboflavin and vitamin B-12 and smaller amounts of zinc, niacin, magnesium, vitamin C, calcium, iron and vitamin B-6, as set by the Institute of Medicine. Squid is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fats are essential fatty acids found mainly in fish and other seafood, nuts and some plants. Your body cannot make them, so you must consume them in your diet. Consuming omega-3 fats might help to lower your risk for cancer, heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis. They also might help keep your memory sharp and improve your mood.

Avoid GREASY food

You may feel almost helpless at times, trying to resist the ubiquitous temptation to indulge in greasy food. Whether your favorite guilty pleasure is French fries, cheeseburgers, pizza, fried chicken, mutton, potato chips or pisang goreng, you probably know these are not healthy food choices. 

The high concentration of bad fats in these foods can undermine your health in a variety of ways. Being mindful of the potential adverse effects of greasy food on your body may help you make dietary choices that support rather than sabotage your good health.

Avoid GREASY food!!!!!

The Health Benefits of A Vegetarian Diet

Vegetarian or not, change the way you think about food, experiment and try new "meat-free" dishes in your diet.

Studies have shown that vegetarians (following a well-balanced low-fat high-fibre vegetarian diet) often have lower incidence of coronary artery disease, hypertension,obesity and some forms of cancer.

A vegetarian diet tends to be lower in total fat, and vegetarians tend to eat proportionally more polyunsaturated fat to saturated fat compared with non-vegetarians. (Animal products are the major sources of dietary saturated fat).

Vegetarians avoid meat, poultry, game, fish and slaughterhouse by-products such as gelatine and animal fats. The staples of the vegetarian diet are fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds and nuts. Most vegetarians eat dairy products and free-range eggs. 

A vegetarian diet can be a very healthy option but it is important to ensure it is well balanced. You could stuff your face with chips and chocolate at every meal and be vegetarian but you wouldn’t be doing your health much good.