Two Types of Hoodia Herb

Hoodia is quickly becoming very popular as a weight loss herb. You can learn more about Hoodia here.

What I want to address today, is that there are actually two types of Hoodia for sale from South Africa and one is effective, the other is not. The problem is, how do you know the difference before you spend your money and energy on it?

Genuine hoodia can cost as much as $350 per kilo wholesale. Adulterated hoodia (sawdust) is a lot cheaper. It might only cost $50 per kilo. That means that you can buy a non-hoodia product that is labeled hoodia for a very high profit from a disreputable company.

This takes us back to my post about buying products only from reliable manufacturers, even if it costs more.

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Chinese or Western Herbs?

Western Herbalism and Chinese medicine are not allopathic. They are a toning or balancing approach. Both types of herbal medicine work with the body's own energy to heal.

When using Chinese or Western herbs, a person must learn to be in tune with their own bodies.

Chinese herbs mainly are formulations of a combination of herbs. Whereas western herbs are both single and combination formulas.

Chinese herbal medication has been a bit difficult for westerners to understand. Western herbs are much more written about. Chinese herbs sometimes can't even be pronounced, let alone understood.

What is happening with chinese herbal medicine is that they are looking for ways to increase the speed at which herbs heal. Some of the formulas take up to three, four or five weeks to start manifesting results for people.

This is actually how all herbs work. In fact, the rule of thumb is that for every year you have had the problem, it will take about one month for the herbs to take full effect. So, if you have had a problem for 3 years, it will take about 3 months for the corrective process.

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Benefits of Herbs and Spices

Marcia Herrin, a Dartmouth Medical School nutritionist, recently talked about of herbs and spices, covering their ability to fight disease and promote good health in general.

When you think of foods that contain antioxidants, fruits, vegetables or whole grains probably come to mind. But there's one food group you likely haven't heard about yet. Herbs and spices pop up everywhere from garden centers to the candy aisle, but they can do more than add zip to your dish. "Practically every herb and spice that's been studied has some health benefit," said dietician Marcia Herrin.

Here are some hightlights of the talk:

Herbs and spices are loaded with antioxidants, those chemicals that keep diseases in check. But we may not be getting those benefits as much as we could. Americans don't use many herbs and spices compared to the rest of the world.

In India, curry is part of the staple diet. There, rates of Alzheimer's disease are the lowest in the world. UCLA researcher and professor of medicine Sally Frautschy is studying curcumin, which is found in curry. Dill, sage, rosemary and ginger also rank high.

"I'm guessing we're going to end up with some really powerful medicines out of this," said Herrin.

You don't have to be a chef to reap the benefits. Just throwing a few herbs on soup or chicken is a good start.

Researchers say many of these herbs are only absorbed by the body when they are eaten with fat, so cooking with oil will help release the antioxidants.

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Natural Remedies for the Common Cold

If you have even a passing interest in the topic of Natural Remedies for fighting or preventing the common cold, then you should take a look at the following information. This article presents some of the latest news on the subject of immunity and internal defenses, particularly about the common cold.

Sometimes it's easy to confuse the common cold with the flu or even bronchitis until symptoms get a lot worse. The first step in treating a cold is to make sure you have a cold.

The common cold is a viral infection of the upper-respiratory tract that attacks the nose and nasal passages, and can spread to the chest. Scratchy throat, sneezing, headache, aching muscles, and congestion are the usual symptoms. But when a cold gives you a persistent fever, a hacking cough or rash, you might have a more serious viral infection that needs professional attention. But keep in mind that antibiotics won't help since a cold is viral and not bacterial in nature.

Vitamin C will help. Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling first discovered the connection between vitamin C and colds. Though doctors often disagree with the numerous clinical studies available today, most naturopaths would say this is a great step in fighting off a cold. Vitamin C studies have consistently demonstrated results superior to over-the-counter cold medications.

However, manufacturers of vitamin C products are prevented from making any claims for their product, while the makers of OTC common-cold medications spend hundreds of millions of dollars promoting these products as the answer to the common cold.

Zinc is also recommended when you are just beginning to come down with a cold. It is an important regulator of immunity and has been found clinically to be an excellent mineral to take in the event of viral illness, such as the common cold.

Certain herbs help boost your immune system, not just cover up symptoms, so you can at least decrease the actual duration of your cold. Some homeopathic treatments recommended are echinacea, eyebright, monkshood, wild hops, cinnamon, elderberry, ginger and licorice.

Echinacea is a popular cold treatment, so much so that you can even find it in many regular drug stores. While it doesn't "seem" to work on everyone as well as they might hope, echinacea is more effective than over-the-counter medicines. OTC medicines only help reduce some of the symptoms of a cold but don't assist the immune system or fight the infection.

Using herbs and natural remedies makes sense!

Butterbur Extract Effective in Migraine Prevention

New Study by International Research Team Shows Positive Benefits

Austin, Texas. (January 21, 2005) Medical scientists have found that the extract of the traditional herb butterbur (Petasites hybridus) can help prevent painful migraine headaches. According to a new study published in the December 28 issue of the journal Neurology, a proprietary standardized extract of the root of butterbur, was effective in preventing migraines in a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 245 migraine sufferers.

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Herbal Remedies for Natural Healing

The use of herbal remedies focuses on long-term health and treating the underlying cause of illness rather than the symptoms. Generally speaking, herbal remedies are a form of alternative medicine.

From ancient medicine men to modern holistic healers, people from every culture have recognized the potent healing properties of plants and herbs. Chinese herbs have been used by the Chinese for over 4,000 years to promote health and as healing agents.

As modern medicine evolved around pharmaceutical concepts, it neglected herbal remedies for years. However now, in many nations, herbal remedies are being re-integrated into mainstream medicine and the Western approach to herbs for healing follows the conventional model of Western medicine. Herbalists are knowledgeable about specific remedies for specific diseases. You may consider finding a local herbalist or naturopath to augment your conventional health care.

Public interest in herbal healing has renewed, with more people exploring herbs and supplements as alternatives to conventional medicine.

You may want to begin to incorporate the benefits of natural health into your everyday life by stocking your medicine cabinet with herbal remedies, replacing non-natural brand-name products.

Beyond everyday herbal remedies, herbal medicine can treat many health problems and diseases such as high cholesterol, arthritis pain, weight loss, colds and flu, sexual dysfunction and more than seventy other common health concerns.

Herbs and herbal remedies are known to build, strengthen and heal the body. Harness the healing power of natural herbs to treat common health disorders and to live a healthier life. Herbal remedies are used with a focus on the natural healing abilities of the body.

Learn about herbs. Increase your knowledge. Experience the benefits.

Remember that the potency of herbal remedies can vary greatly depending on the source of the herb. Realize that the choices available to you are numerous... and not all are adequate, or even safe. For instance, most of the popular herbal drinks sold in convenience stores and supermarkets don't have enough of the healing herbs to have any effect on your body. Teas are the weakest form of herbal treatments and tinctures are the strongest.

Also keep in mind that until the industry adopts better quality standards, doctors and patients should be (and are often) cautious when prescribing and using herbal remedies. Regulations, quality assurance, safety and efficacy of herbal remedies in general, is what we need. These guidelines should outline standards for quality, quantity, and production of herbal remedies and provide labeling requirements that member countries must meet.

Due to this, it is important to always use herbs and formulas from reputable companies only, as well as the fact that the potency of herbal remedies can vary greatly.

Guidelines for good health include diet, exercise, stress reduction, and herbal remedies.

The power and potency of the healing herbs are very real.

Nourish body, mind, and soul, using food, herbs, and healing arts.

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Debra Augur has been a writer and teacher of Natural Healing through http://www.eat-well-to-be-well.com and http://www.HerbsAndNaturalRemedies.com since the year 2000.

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you get some delicious dark chocolate... it's the one that's good for you (within reason).

Elderberry formula activates healthy immune system

A small study concluded that Sambucol, a proprietary standardized extract of black elderberry (Sambucus nigra), stimulates the healthy immune system by increasing production of inflammatory cytokines. Cytokine production was measured using monocytes derived from the blood of 12 healthy volunteers, which were incubated with four different Sambucol products: Sambucol Black Elderberry Extract, Sambucol Black Elderberry Syrup, Sambucol Immune System, and Sambucol for Kids. Of the four products tested for immune-stimulating activity, Sambucol Black Elderberry Extract demonstrated the most significant effect on cytokine production. The most dramatic increase observed was in production of TNF-a. Barak V, Halperin T, Kalickman I. The effect of Sambucol, a black elderberry-based, natural product, on the production of human cytokines: I. inflammatory cytokines. Eur Cytokine Netw 2001; 12(2): 290-296.

Source

Schizandra Berry

Try starting your day with some schizandra berry supplements to wake up your mind. And if you're too stressed at night to sleep take some schizandra berry supplements to calm you down.

How can a single item have such apparently contradictory effects? According to thousands of years of traditional Chinese medicine, schizandra is an "adaptogenic" herb.

In Herbal Medicine, Healing and Cancer, Donald R. Yance Jr. lists many of schizandra's uses, which include increasing mental and physical exercise capacities, as well as improving adaptability to darkness and other environmental stresses. Yance points out that, unlike caffeine, schizandra stimulates the central nervous system without creating an excitatory effect. Schizandra provides a mental boost without the jitteriness caused by caffeine.

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Gotu Kola

Scientific evidence supports some of the traditional uses of gotu kola (Centella asiatica).

Clinical evidence strongly supports the use of the herb in treating venous insufficiency (inadequate drainage of venous* blood from a part, resulting in edema or dermatosis), wounds, and pregnancy-related stretch marks (striae gravidarum).

Gotu kola's sedative, analgesic, antidepressant, antimicrobial, antiviral, and capability of modifying or regulating immune functions, are being investigated, but clinical studies in these areas are needed.

The authors of the review paper with more than 100 references reports conclude, "...the therapeutic potential of this plant in terms of its efficacy and versatility is such that further detailed research would appear worthwhile." Brinkhaus B, Lindner M, Schuppan D, et al. Chemical, pharmacological and clinical profile of the East Asian medicial plant Centella asiatica. Phytomedicine 2000; 7(5): 427-448.

* Venous: Of, relating to, or being the blood in the veins or pulmonary arteries that is usually dark red as a result of low oxygen content.

Echinacea Study Flawed

According to the recent study, echinacea was reported to be an ineffective preventative and treatment for the common cold. This study is in contradiction to a large body of research that has found echinacea to be an effective defense against colds and flus.

Yet, on the day this study was released, CNN reported on their website CNN.com "No Comfort For Colds" as their headline, leading off their article with, "Treatments that don't work made medical news this week." CBS News reported, "Study Debunks Echinacea's Powers," and NBC's Bob Faw stated that the study concludes, "When it comes to fighting the common cold, you're better off slurping chicken soup."

Dr. Cynthia Foster, author, lecturer, university instructor, and holistic medical consultant, found that proper research procedures were ignored in this study and reveals financial ties to makers of over the counter cold and flu medicines, antibiotics, facial tissues and antibacterial soaps, all of whom are biased against echinacea.

Dr. Foster states, "The extracts used in this study were of a weaker strength than what is typical for over the counter Echinacea products. The preparations were made from the dried root, which is considered a poor quality source of herbal materials according to leading herbalists who recommend the fresh root. The low potency of the dried preparation and the extraction techniques they used are also in question. According to the published article in NEJM, not a single one of the 3 types of extracts contains all of the known active components of echinacea angustifolia in the proper proportion in order to be considered a quality extract.

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Natural Medicine Chest

Your natural medicine cupboard should have bottles of oregano oil, vitamin C, quercetin, and you should also keep fresh cloves of garlic handy. These nutrients inhibit viral outbreaks. Elderberry syrup and vitamin C are appropriate for infants.

Hoodia

Leslie Stahl, of CBS News, reported on hoodia last year. In fact she ate it. She said that she had no after effects – no funny taste in her mouth, no queasy stomach, and no racing heart. She also wasn't hungry all day, even at mealtime. She also reported that she had no desire to eat or drink the entire day. "I'd have to say it did work," says Stahl.

The Bushmen of the Kalahari have been eating hoodia for a very long time. The first scientific investigation of the plant was conducted at South Africa’s national laboratory. Because Bushmen were known to eat hoodia, it was included in a study of indigenous foods.

"What they found was when they fed it to animals, the animals ate it and lost weight," says Dr. Richard Dixey, who heads an English pharmaceutical company called Phytopharm that is trying to develop weight-loss products based on hoodia.

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Curry reduces risk of cancer

Once again, an ingredient in curry reportedly reduces the risk of cancer. A report from the University of Texas found that curcumin stimulated the death of melanoma cells, and blocked their growth in the laboratory. The researchers found the molecule that is responsible for this anti-cancer activity.

It is also reportedly preventative for Alzheimers.

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Good News about Coffee

Newswise — It’s surprising when something that was once considered questionable for your health turns out to have health benefits, usually with the proviso to use it “in moderation.” That happened with chocolate and alcohol, and now it is coffee’s turn, reports the February issue of the Harvard Health Letter. Here’s some of the mostly good news about coffee:

More... http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/517481/

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