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- Zoy
- Aurora, Canada
- Holistic lover, enjoy biodynamic gardening, natural life style and herbal medicine.
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Fresh and Tasty Digestion Helper
Basil is truly an incredible herb. It is enjoyed for its rich and spicy, mildly peppery flavor with a trace of mint and clove. Basil is an annual herb belonging to the mint family. Ocimum basilicum or Sweet Basil is the most commonly known and grown. Ocimum is from a Greek verb that means "to be fragrant." Flowers on the ends of branches are either white or lavender. Basil is native to India and Asia and having been cultivated there for more than 5,000 years.
With so many attributes it isn't any wonder that basil has become increasingly popular over the years. Being a member of the mint family, it is not surprising to see it recommended for digestive complaints. So instead of an after dinner mint, try sipping an after dinner cup of basil herbal tea to aid digestion and dispel flatulence.
Herbalists have recommended basil for years for stomach cramps, vomiting and constipation. Basil has been described as having a slight sedative action, which would explain why it is sometimes recommended for headaches and anxiety.
Herbalists have recommended basil for years for stomach cramps, vomiting and constipation. Basil has been described as having a slight sedative action, which would explain why it is sometimes recommended for headaches and anxiety.
Sun & Lighting Grow best in a sunny location.
Uses
The best flavour is found in fresh leaves, but frozen and dried leaves are worth the effort also. The leaves can be used cooked or raw. Crush, chip or mince the leaves and add to recipes, or add whole leaves to salads. Sprigs of basil make a wonderfully aromatic garnish. The flowers are beautiful, edible, and also make a unique garnish.
Basil is traditional in Italian, Mediterranean and Thai cookery. It is superb with veal, lamb, fish, poultry, white beans, pasta, rice, tomatoes, cheese and eggs. It blends well with garlic, thyme and lemon. Basil adds zip to mild vegetables like zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, parsnips, spinach and to the soups, stews and sauces in which these vegetables appear, and to add to its versatility, basil is also one of the ingredients in the liqueur chartreuse.
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Hearts Delight
Common name for Melissa officinalis, an aromatic, sweet herb of the Mint Family grown in the herb garden, and also used in liqueurs and historically, as a medicine. It has a mild lemon aroma that many will associate with furniture polish and some brands of dishwashing liquid. Melissa had been used for centuries. References are found in Roman writings. The Arabs relied on it to treat depression and anxiety, while the English included it in the furniture polish.
There are references to balm as an aid to longevity.
Lemon balm herb is a modest in appearance. With smallish oval leaves and discreet white flowers, it will grow two or three feet high.On a romantic note, it is fun to ponder the fact that it was symbolically used to transmit messages to lovers. Maybe next time you want to send a love note you should tuck it into a little pot of lemon balm.
Culture
The wonderful thing about this herb is that it's also very easy to grow.
Seed Spacing Push the seeds just below the surface at a depth not over two millimetres.
Seed Germination 12 to 21 days.
Plant Spacing Plants should be spaced between 12 and 15 inches (30 and 38 cm) apart.
Preferred pH Range Will grow in a relatively wide pH range, with a preferred range of 6.0 to 7.5.
Soil Requirements Fertile, well-drained clay or sandy loam.
Sun & Lighting Lemon balm prefers full sun, but is mildly shade-tolerant.
Water Requirements Requires consistently moist soil, do not let soil dry out in between watering.
Uses
Lemon balm is used for digestive problems, including upset stomach, bloating, intestinal gas (flatulence), vomiting, and colic; for pain, including menstrual cramps, headache and toothache; and for mental disorders, including hysteria and melancholia.
Many people believe lemon balm has calming effects so they take it for anxiety, sleep problems, and restlessness. Lemon balm is also used for Alzheimer's disease, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), an autoimmune disease involving the thyroid (Graves' disease), swollen airways, rapid heartbeat due to nervousness, high blood pressure, sores, tumors, and insect bites. The crushed leaves, when rubbed on the skin, are used as a repellant for mosquitoes, some people apply lemon balm to their skin to treat cold sores (herpes labialis).
This common garden herb, lemon balm, can improve the memory and increase feelings of calmness.
Lemon balm is often used as a flavouring in ice cream and herbal teas, both hot and iced, often in combination with other herbs such as peppermint. It is also frequently paired with fruit dishes or candies.
Lemon balm also makes a fragrant and distinctive potpourri.
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Best Hangover Cures For The Festive Season
During festive times, after a heavy night of drinking and merry making, people often wake up miserable and it is only then they start to think of a hangover cure. Today's hangover treatments contain ingredients like B vitamins, vitamin C, activated charcoal and many others. The vitamins help to give the body a boost and help the liver with filtering alcohol out of the body. Activated charcoal helps absorb and remove toxins.One of the biggest causes of hangovers is congeners. Congeners are linked to the color, taste and aroma of dark alcohol drink. Drinks like red wines, dark bourbons and stout and dark ales seem to produce a worse hangover than by those drinks that include less congener like vodka and light beers. Dehydration is also a leading cause of hangovers.
Modern cultures have diverse beliefs about effective hangover cure. Russians simply sweat it out in the sauna. Germans eat a mixture of herring, pickles, and goulash. Many Americans used to create a stomach clenching drink made of tomato juice and a raw egg.
The modern methods for hangover treatment and its painful symptoms contain natural pain killers, like willow bark or feverfew. Do not take any headache drugs when you have a hangover. Many people think these tablets will help them with hangover relief. But taking over the counter pain killers is a terrible idea when dealing with a hangover headache. Aspirin and ibuprofen can upset the stomach and will increase the chances of a hangover, and the leading ingredient in analgesics, Acetaminophen (or Paracetamol) can cause your liver to explode when it mixes with alcohol that is still in your body.
How to prevent a hangover.
1. Make sure your body is well hydrated, try drinking a glass of water or other no caffeinated drinks for each alcoholic beverage you drink. As the body is 70% water and alcohol is a diuretic (it dehydrates you) you will need to continuously hydrate your body. Having fun through the night while you are dehydrated will definitely lead to a hangover the next day. Just drink lots of water. If you can remember one thing while intoxicated, remember this: drink lots of water before going to bed. It will help eliminate dehydration, and you'll feel much better in the morning.3. No bubbles please! If you mix an alcohol with any kind of bubbly beverage next morning you will have a hangover for sure.
4. And definitely don't drink on an empty stomach. Food is very important to avoid hangovers because food helps slow the absorption of alcohol, giving your body time to metabolize it and get rid of the toxins found in alcohol, decreasing the chances of hangover.
But, for now, what do you do with that nasty throbbing headache and the groggy feeling that accompanies a hangover?
Hangover Recovery
- Eat a good breakfast in the morning. This will help your body return to normal sooner. Food is probably the last thing you want to look at while recovering from a hangover, but you do need some for energy. Stay with clear liquids until you can tolerate something solid. Then start off slowly with mild, easy-to-digest foods such as plain toast, rice, or clear soup.- The morning of your hangover, stay off the caffeine. No matter how tempting that cup of coffee smells, it won't help to cure your hangover. Nor will a cola drink. Caffeine dehydrates your body, so it will only make the effects of the hangover even worse.
- Going back to sleep is also an effective hangover cure. By definition, sleep is the most restful state for your body. So, if it is an option for you, going back to sleep can be a good idea for the natural hangover cure.
Herbal Remedies for Hangover Cure
Milk Thistle is a good hangover helper. It is a spectacular little herb that has amazing rejuvenation powers for your toasted livers. This herb removes free radicals and protects the liver's cells from damage plus helping to remove those toxins already there. It can even assist in the regeneration of new cells in the liver. Take two 20 milligram capsules with a meal prior to or while drinking.
Feverfew. Use feverfew herb instead of aspirin. Aspirin is very hard on the stomach, while feverfew is not.
Rosemary is a natural stimulant and is great for relieving feelings of tiredness. For a hangover relief related to upset stomach, Rosemary can be used in the bath or as an inhalation agent, or it can easily be used in food or tea.
Peppermint is another anti hangover herb. The peppermint herb, either in tea form or chewing the leaves, will relax the intestines. Peppermint is a carminative, which is a substance that removes accumulated gas from the stomach and intestines. Make a tea by pouring one cup of boiling water over 1-2 teaspoons of the dried herb; cover; steep for fifteen minutes; strain. Drink 1-2 cups as soon as you can.Chamomile tea is great for general soothing and relaxation, but as a hangover remedy, it works wonders on headaches and indigestion, especially when sweetened with honey.
Thyme. Make a tea by lightly crushing five fresh or dried leaves; place in a cup and fill with water cooled to just below boiling; cover and leave to infuse for five minutes; remove leaves and drink.
Folk Remedies for Hangover Cure
Bifidus powder. Also known as bifidum, is a helpful bacteria that inhabits the large intestines, and keeps nasty bacteria at bay. It produces B vitamins, helping the bowels stay regular. But it has another very helpful property, it detoxifies acetaldehyde, a digestive byproduct of alcohol consumption that is blamed to cause most of the symptoms of the hangover. Another hangover remedy is to take a probiotic supplement, such as acidophilus, to help restore the flora balance in your stomach.
Bananas are a great pick-me-up! While you were drinking your body was passing lots of potassium. Eating a banana loaded with potassium will give your body a great boost. All you have to do is peel and eat another natural hangover medicine.
Juices, especially freshly squeezed orange juice, will help raise your blood sugar levels and help ease some of your hangover symptoms. However, if your stomach is upset, skip acidic juices such as orange juice and try good old apple juice instead - it works just as good.
B Vitamins.Thiamine and vitamin B help the liver clear itself of acetaldehyde, reducing the symptoms of a hangover. If possible try taking one high potency B vitamin supplement before drinking.Ginger has long been used to treat nausea and seasickness. It will help to cure hangover too. If you can remain vertical for ten minutes, brew some ginger tea. Cut 10 to 12 slices of fresh ginger root and combine with 4 cups water. Boil for ten minutes. Strain and add the juice of 1 orange, the juice of 1/2 lemon, and 1/2 cup honey.
Honey and Lemon. The classic drink of honey, lemon, and warm water is one of the best hangover medicines. Honey contains fructose, which competes for the metabolism of alcohol. This healthy competition is needed, since it prevents the rapid change in alcohol levels that results in headaches. To make the drink, take 1 cup of warm water and mix in honey and lemon juice to taste. Enjoy and drink several times a day.
Spirulina. Take 15-20g of spirulina with water. After too much alcohol, two glasses of water are essential for rehydration. Spirulina adds protein, vitamins and minerals to rebuild the body's depleted nutrients. It does not aid sobriety, but with water, helps avoid that dehydrated and depleted feeling the next morning.
Activated charcoal. Take one tablet of activated charcoal per drink while you are drinking. The charcoal absorbs the impurities in the alcohol which are the cause of the hangover. The charcoal also absorbs important nutrients, so if you are a heavy drinker, don't use this remedy daily as you will end up with nutritional deficiencies.
Non-Addictive Tranquilliser
Valerian, Valeriana officinalis, also known as Garden Valerian, is an herb native to Europe and Asia that currently grows in most parts of the world. The name is believed to come from the Latin word "valere" meaning to be healthy or strong. Valerian remains popular in North America, Europe, and Japan and is widely used to treat insomnia and anxiety.Valerian is a perennial herb which grows up to 1 metre in height. Its rootstock is thicker than the stem, producing suckers or shoots rising from the ground. The stems are furrowed, hairy below and smooth above, whereas its lower leaves are long compared to the smaller upper leaves. The plant has small, white flowers in small clusters and small and smooth fruit.
Valerian has been used as a medicinal herb since at least the time of ancient Greece and Rome. Its therapeutic uses were described by Hippocrates, and in the 2nd century, Galen prescribed valerian herb for insomnia. In medieval Sweden, it was sometimes placed in the wedding clothes of the groom to ward off the "envy" of the elves. Valerian was used as a perfume in the sixteenth century.
Culture
- Seed Spasing Lay the seed on the soil surface and do not allow it to dry out.
- Seed Germination 12 to 21 days. Seeds require light to germinate.
- Plant Spacing About 8" apart.
- Soil Requirements This plant is tolerant of most soils, but does best with soil that is kept moist.
- Sun & Lighting It will grow in any sunlight, as long as its roots are cool.
- Water Requirements Keep the plant well watered.
The herb Valerian has been used for its healing properties for centuries; both as a herb and an essential oil, Valerian has many medicinal uses for today's problems.
Many studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of valerian as a sleep aid, especially when combined with St. John's wort or Lemon Balm. And, unlike many pharmaceutical "sleeping pills," valerian won't cause feelings of grogginess upon waking or lead to a chemical dependency. The sedating effect of valerian on the central nervous system may help reduce muscle spasms and prevent convulsions.
While valerian herb is most commonly administered orally, it may also be added to bath water to help relieve nervousness and to induce sleep. Similarly, valerian can be boiled and the resulting steam can be inhaled to produce the same effect. Valerian also appears to be useful in relieving menopausal symptoms and menstrual discomfort.
Some herbalists have also recommended it for tension headaches, bronchial spasms, lingering coughs, and as a muscle relaxant to treat pain.
Cats are attracted to a valerian which has an effect on their nervous system. They find valerian irresistible and will roll in the plant if the leaves have been disturbed or bruised, releasing the scent.
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