Month: July 2008

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Herbs & Plants

Boerhavia diffusa

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Botanical Name : Boerhavia diffusa
Family: Nyctaginaceae
Genus: Boerhavia
Species: B. diffusa
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Caryophyllales

Synonyms : B. coccinea. B. repens. L.
English Name / Common Name: Spreading Hogweed / Boerhavia
Sanskrit / Indian Name: Punarna
Other Common Names:Punarnava , Boerhavia Diffusa, Hirsuta , Erva Tostao , Red Hogweed , Hog Weed , Pig Weed, Tar Vine, Red spiderling
Part Used :Root, Seed,whole plant
Properties :Anti- Inflammatory, Panduhar(Checks Anemia), Cardiac-tonic,Analgesic
Habitat:This weed grows throughout India, Bangla Desh, Burma,Sri Lanka and in many tropical countries  of the world like Australia – New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria.   It grows in a pioneer of bare areas, usually found on dry sandy soils.

Description:Boerhavia diffusa is a perennial creaping  plant. It grows  to 0.1 m (0ft 4in) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in). It has a large root system and produces yellow and white flowers. It is in flower from Jun to September, and the seeds ripen from Jun to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). CLICK & SEE

You may click to see the pictures of Red Hogweed

Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Cultivation:
It is hardy to at least -7°c in Australian gardens but this cannot be translated directly to the British climate because our summers are cooler and our winters longer, colder and wetter. If the plant is capable of surviving our winters it is likely to need a sheltered very sunny position in a well-drained soil. Most if not all members of this genus have the same edible uses.

Propagation:
Seed -..sowing the seed in a greenhouse in the spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings

Medicinal Uses:Bitter, stomachic, laxative, diuretic, expectorant, rejuvenative, diaphoretic, emetic Root-purgative, anthelmintic, febrifuge; White-laxative, diaphoretic;

The extract of Punarnava has diuretic properties. It helps to maintain effective kidney function. Punarnava helps maintain efficient kidney function, with its diuretic, anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory action. It is a very useful herb in treating edema.

Punarnava Root Powder (Boerhaavia Diffusa) is known in Ayurveda for its diuretic action. This herb is also used to cleanse the liver, and for a variety of heart conditions.

PUNARNWA (Boerhavia diffusa) the active principle punarnavine is responsible for its laxative and diuretic properties. Presence of large amount of potassium salts reinforces its action.

The roots of this herb contain rotenoids AI, BI, C2 , D, E ,and F, dihydroisofurenoxanthin, borhavine and an antifibrinolytic agent, punarnavoside. Punarnava is a powerful Rasayana (longevity enhancer). It has diuretic and Ca2++ channel blocking activity. By clearing the excess of avalambhaka and kledhaka kapha from the chest and stomach, Punarnava opens the channels – especially for rasa and rakta, the circulatory fluids, to flow unimpeded.

» In Oedema – Paste of punamava, sunthi and Mustak should be taken in a dose of 1Ogm with milk.
» Used in Acute hapatic disorders & Ascites due to chronic peritonitis.
» In Jaundice – Punarnava is very effective.
» In Heart diseases – It should be taken with kutki, Chirayata & Sunthi.
» In Conjuctivitis – Freshroot powder of punarnava mixed with honey should be used as eye application.
» As Rasayana – One who takes pastes of fresh punamava 20mg with milk.

Remedies For: Punarnava in India where it has a long history of use by indigenous and tribal people, and in Aruyvedic or natural/herbal medicine in India. There, the roots are employed for many purposes including liver, gallbladder, kidney, renal and urinary disorders.

Red-vermifuge. Abdomen, Abdominal Pain, Anemia, Anthelmintic, Anti-inflammatory, Ascites, Asthma, Blood Purifier, Calculi, Cancer(abdominal), Cataract, Childbirth, Cholera, Cough, Debility, Diuretic, Dropsy, Dyspepsia, Edema, Emetic, Expectorant, Eye, Fever, Food, Gonorrhea, Guinea Worms, Heart Disease, Heart Ailments, Hemorrhages(childbirth) Hemorrhages(thoracic) Hemorrhoids, Hepatoprotective, Inflammation(internal), Jaundice, Lactagogue, Liver, Menstrual, Ophthalmic, Renal, Rheumatism, Spleen(enlarged), Weakness.

Ayurvedic Applications:

White-edema, anemia, heart disease, cough, intestinal colic, kidney disorders; same uses as red.

Red-nervous system, heart disease, hemorrhoids, skin diseases, kidney stones, edema, rat and snake bites; chronic alcoholism, wasting diseases, insomnia, rheumatism, eye diseases, asthma (moderate doses), induces vomiting in large doses, jaundice, ascites due to early liver and peritoneal concerns; urethritis.

Leaf juice with honey, dropped into the eyes for chronic ophthalmia.

No side effects have been noted so far.

According to Ayurveda, herbs are taken in combination with other herbs to neutralize the toxicity of one herb with the opposing effect of the other or to enhance the particular effect of one herb with the help of other.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:
http://www.himalayahealthcare.com/products/punarnava.htm
http://www.herbalremedies.com/punarnava.html
http://www.hindpharma.com/herbalproducts.htm
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sethayurvedics.com/images/punarnava-herbs.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sethayurvedics.com/ayurveda-
http://www.acarya.ch/Repetitorium/Sanskrit/Punarnava-Boerhavia-diffusa/Purnanava-Boerhavia-diffusa.htm
http://www.vedaliving.com/punarnava-herb-info.html
http://www.cardiofy.com/howitworks.htm

http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Boerhavia+diffusa

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A Calculus Affair

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Roundworms seem to be indulging in some serious mathematical calculations in their hunt for food, find scientists.

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In their search for food, tiny roundworms — no larger than a few centimetres — appear to be engaging in a bit of senior school mathematics. A team of US-based researchers has found that two distinct cells in the brains of roundworms make up a specialised, miniature computer that guides the worm’s food-finding behaviour through functions that mimic calculus.

Biologist Shawn Lockery at the University of Oregon and his colleagues have shown how the two cells work in tandem to guide a worm towards food. The researchers believe that the computational mechanism that occurs in the roundworm’s brain is similar to what drives a person to the aroma of a meal in the making in the kitchen. Their findings appeared last week in the journal Nature.

“We’ve discovered a tiny, specialised computer inside the primitive roundworm,” said Lockery. “The computer calculates the rate of change of the strengths or concentrations of various tastes.” The analysis of the rate of change is done by a process called differentiation — a key element of calculus, a mathematical discipline typically introduced in senior school.

“The worm uses this information to find food and avoid poisons,” said Lockery, who had first predicted the existence of such a mechanism in the roundworm brain in 1999 after observing how the worms change directions based on taste and smell.

The two neurons make up the antagonistic sensory cues (ASE) system, and function just as two nostrils or two eyes. The left neuron controls an on switch, while the right neuron controls an off switch.

In their experiments, the researchers exposed the roundworms to salt and pepper. They showed that the left neuron is active when the worms move forward, and the right neuron is active when the worms begin a turn or searching motion.

The scientists reasoned that artificial activation of the left neuron ought to make the worms move straight ahead, while activation of the right neuron would make them turn to find something, or avoid something. That’s exactly what their experiments with pepper have revealed. Which way a roundworm turns will depend on which neuron has been turned on.

Researchers believe the finding could help research aimed at the treatment of people who have problems involving smell or taste. But that’s a long-term goal. For now, it’s just an insight into how even roundworms do some calculus.

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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Elephant Yam (Bengali Ol)

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Botanical name: Amorphophallus Campanulatus
Family: Araceae
Subfamily: Aroideae
Tribe: Thomsonieae
Genus: Amorphophallus
Species: A. paeoniifolius
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Alismatales

 

Subfamily: Aroideae
Tribe: Thomsonieae
Genus: Amorphophallus
Species: A. paeoniifolius
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Alismatales

Synonyms: Amorphophallus campanulatus (Decne.)
Sanskrit name: Soorana
English name: Elephant Yam
Tamil name: Pidikarunai kizhangu
Bengali Name: Ole,OOL  OR OL
Other Names:Dragon Arum , Kembang Bangah , Saranah , Soeweg , Whitespot Giant Arum ,
Habitat: Loose leafy detritus in moist shady habitats.Common throughout the Luzon provinces and in Mindoro, in thickets and secondary forests, at low and medium altitudes in settled areas. India, Bangla Desh,Burma, Sri Lanka,Thailand, Philippines
Parts Used: Corm, roots.

Description:
The plant had three leaves, with one that was smaller and yellowing. The other two healthy and sturdier ones are rather pretty and the leaflets that emerge from each petiole may lead those who are unfamiliar with the plant to think that it is a papaya plant instead. The petioles are also beautifully mottled. The whole plant looks quite ornamental in a strange way.

YOU MAY CLICK TO SEE THE PICTURE..>…….(01)..…...(1)..…….…(2).….

 

· A perennial growing to 0.75m. It is hardy to zone 10. The scented flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Flies. We rate it 2 out of 5 for usefulness.The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. stemless herb.Corm is globose, up to 30 cm in diameter.The leaf stalk develops from the corm, usually about 1 meter high.Leaves are solitary, blades up to 1 meter in diameter, trisected with dichotomous segments. Spathe is sessile, campanulate, purplish up to 30 cm in diameter.The spadix (a spike of flowers contained in the spathe) sulcate and depressed, up to 15 cms long, are malodorous when flowering.

Flowers: When ripe for pollination, the flowers have a foetid smell to attract carrion flies and midges. This smell disappears once the flower has been pollinated.

Cultivation details:
Requires shade and a rich soil in its native habitats, but it probably requires a position with at least moderate sun in Britain.Cultivated for its edible tuber in Asia, plants are not winter hardy outdoors in Britain but are sometimes grown outdoors in this country as part of a sub-tropical bedding display.

The tuber is harvested in the autumn after top growth has been cut back by frost and it must be kept quite dry and frost-free over winter. It is then potted up in a warm greenhouse in spring ready to be planted out after the last expected frosts. The tubers are planted 15cm deep. It is unclear from the reports that we have seen whether or not this root can be divided, it is quite possible that seed is the only means of increase[K].

The plant has one enormous leaf and one spadix annually. It requires hand pollination in Britain. When ripe for pollination, the flowers have a foetid smell to attract carrion flies and midges. This smell disappears once the flower has been pollinated.
Propagation
Seed – best sown in a pot in a warm greenhouse as soon as it is ripe and the pot sealed in a plastic bag to retain moisture. It usually germinates in 1 – 8 months at 24°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least a couple of years. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts, and give them some protection such as a cloche until they are growing away strongly.

Chemical constituents and nutritional value:Corm is 74% moisture; 0.73% ash; 5.1% protein; 18% carbohydrate providing about 1,000 calories per kilo; comparable in food value to kalabasa, superior to singkamas.Petioles of young unexpanded leaves are edible when thoroughly cooked.

Medicinal Uses: Corms are Carminative; Expectorant; Restorative; Caustic, Stomachic and Tonic. Roots are emmenagogue.Poultices of corm are antirheumatic. Also used for hemorrhoids.Roots are used for boils and hemorrhoids. Tubers are also used for hemorrhoids.

The Root is dried and used in the treatment of piles and dysentery. The fresh root acts as an acrid stimulant and expectorant, it is much used in India in the treatment of acute rheumatism. Some caution is advised.

Click to see more medicinal uses of Elephant Yam ( Amorphophallus Campanulatus)

Edible Uses: Leaves; Root, Rhizome – cooked. Acrid raw, it must be thoroughly boiled or baked. A very large root, it can be up to 25cm in diameter. Caution is advised, see notes above on probable toxicity.
Leaves and petioles – they must be thoroughly cooked. Caution is advised, see notes above on possible toxicity.

CLICK TO SEE THE PICTURE

• Leaves and roots.
• Rhizomes preferably cooked, acrid when raw. May cause perioral burning and itching.
Folkloric
· Poultices of corm are antirheumatic. Also used for hemorrhoids.
· Roots are used for boils and hemorrhoids.
· Tubers are also used for hemorrhoids.
• In India, tuberous roots are used for treatment of piles, abdominal pains, tumors, spleen enlargement, asthma and rheumatism. source

Studies
• Antibacterial / Cytotoxic: Amblyone, a triterpenoid isolated from A campanulatus showed to have good antibacterial activity and moderate cytotoxic activity.
• Hepatoprotective: Study on the hepatoprotective activity of AC corm on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rats.
• Antioxidant / Hepatoprotective: Study on ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Amorphophallus campanulatus showed antioxidant activity. Results showed potent hepatoprotective action against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic damage. The possible mechanism of antioxidant activity may be due to the free radical scavenging potential from the flavonoids in the extracts.
• Analgesic: Study on the methanol extract of A campanulatus tuber showed significant analgesic activity.

Known Hazards: Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, it belongs to a family where most of the members contain calcium oxalate crystals. This substance is toxic fresh and, if eaten, makes the mouth, tongue and throat feel as if hundreds of small needles are digging in to them. However, calcium oxalate is easily broken down either by thoroughly cooking the plant or by fully drying it and, in either of these states, it is safe to eat the plant. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones and hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://gardeningwithwilson.com/2008/06/05/elephant-foot-yam-the-singapore-botanic-gardens/
http://stuartxchange.org/Pungapung.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Amorphophallus+paeoniifolius

http://www.stuartxchange.com/Pungapung.html

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Half the World will be Obese by 2030

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With waistlines increasing rapidly around the world, a group of researchers at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine predict that by 2030, almost 58% of the world’s population will be overweight or obese.

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The data was examined in “Global Burden of Obesity in 2005 and Projections to 2030,” authored by Tanika Kelly, a doctoral candidate at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Kelly claims that almost one-third of the world is already considered overweight or obese.

The research holds a lot of importance, as it is the first to pool systematically peer-reviewed data from over 100 countries into one comprehensive global estimate for obesity.

The researchers compiled results from population-based studies that were published in peer-reviewed journals from January 1990 through August 2007. Overall, the researchers employed 72 national, 22 multi-site and 14 regional studies from 106 countries, covering approximately 88% of the world’s population.

The study reveals that till the year 2005, approximately 23.2% of the world’s adult population was overweight and 9.8% was obese. More or less 937 million adults were overweight and 396 million were obese, and if a similar trend continues, the number of overweight individuals will double to 2.16 billion by 2030 and the number of obese adults will grow up to 1.12 billion during the same period of time.

“The high prevalence of overweight and obesity, combined with their concomitant health risks makes it a particularly relevant worldwide public health challenge,” the researchers said.

Public health initiatives have already been starting in many developed countries, unfortunately such programs are absent in the developing nations.

The study is published in the latest issue of International Journal of Obesity.

You may click to see :->Why we are fat

Sources: The Times Of India

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Lowering Cholesterol in Kids Starts with Diet, Exercise

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According to guidelines recently released by the American Academy of Pediatrics, statins may be needed to prevent harmful plaque buildup.

At first blush, the new guidelines on cholesterol control in children were shocking. Statins, one of the most frequently prescribed drugs for adults worldwide, could be prescribed for some children as young as 8, according to recommendations released last week by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

But the vast majority of children will never in their pre-pubescence or teens pop a pill to lower cholesterol. Nor will their parents want them to. “I hear it every time I see parents,” says Dr. Alan Lewis, a pediatric cardiologist and director of the lipid clinic at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. ” ‘I don’t want my kid taking a pill.’ ”


You may click to see:-
>For youths at risk for high cholesterol, statins are the best remedy

>There are statin alternatives — but check with a doctor first

 

For most children, the new guidelines will simply serve to alert parents that their kids could be accumulating plaque in their arteries that will set them on a road to early heart attacks or strokes. “My own practice and the new guidelines emphasize the importance of lifestyle as the approach to lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease,” Lewis says.

Whether you’re a kid or a grown-up, here’s how to adopt that lifestyle.

Diet and exercise

Children ages 2 to 10 who test in the acceptable range (total cholesterol less than 170 milligrams per deciliter of blood) should simply keep up the good work. Those who test in the borderline range (total cholesterol 170 to 199) need to make some changes in what they eat and how much they exercise. (For adults, total cholesterol of less than 200 is desirable; 200 to 239 is borderline high; above 240 is high, carrying with it twice the risk of heart disease as a level below 200.)

It’s children who test at elevated levels, above 200, who bump into the controversial recommendation of taking a statin as part of their preventive therapy. Even then, “you should always start with lifestyle modifications,” says Dr. Stephen R. Daniels, chairman of the department of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver and lead author of the guidelines.

For starters, dietary fat intake should be lowered to less than 30% of calories, with saturated fat, found in meat and whole-milk dairy products, less than 10% of calories and no more than 200 milligrams of cholesterol a day.

If that doesn’t do the trick, Lewis says, cut saturated fat to 7% of calories, keeping total fat below 27%. Trans-fatty acids should be all but eliminated, with the recommendation at less than 1% of calories. (The American Heart Assn. recommends that all adults keep dietary fat below 30% of daily calories, with no more than 7% of daily calories from saturated fat, and less than 1% from trans fats.) Kids as young as one year, according to the new guidelines, can cut out whole milk and start drinking reduced fat milk. The biggest influence on blood cholesterol is the mix of fats in the diet. Saturated fat, found mostly in animal products but also in coconut and palm oils, increases blood cholesterol levels the most.

Fiber, in the form of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, can lower cholesterol. It binds bile and blood cholesterol to form waste, which the body eliminates. If a fiber supplement is used, the guidelines suggest a dose of the child’s age plus 5 grams a day, up to a dose of 20 grams a day at age 15. Long-standing government recommendations suggest that young kids 2 to 3 should get three ounces of grains a day, building up to seven ounces by age 14 to 18. A slice of whole-grain bread, one-half cup of cooked brown rice and one-half cup of cooked oatmeal add up to about three ounces. Fruits and vegetables also contain fiber, and young children should get a cup of each, building up to two cups of fruit and three cups of vegetables for kids 14 and older.

The new guidelines recommend exercise in general, though without a recommended amount. Exercise in adults has been shown primarily to increase levels of HDL, the protective cholesterol, though it has little effect on lowering LDL. But exercise can also lead to weight loss, and weight loss has been proven to lower total cholesterol in adults.

Children with less than ideal cholesterol levels could need up to six months of lifestyle changes before results are seen.

One study of children 8 to 11, published in the May 10, 1995, Journal of the American Medical Assn., found that those who kept their total fat calories to 28% and saturated fat to 8% of calories dropped levels of LDL cholesterol by an average of 15 points over three years, compared to those in a control group who ate their normal diet.

For children whose cholesterol is mildly or moderately high, the reduction could get them into the normal range. The National Institutes of Health-sponsored study, the Dietary Intervention in Children Study, also found that after three years, children who were in the group that received aggressive nutrition education consumed 67% of their calories from heart-healthy foods, compared to 57% in the group that received no counseling.

Studies of adults have shown that bad cholesterol can be lowered by 5% to as much as 20% by lifestyle changes, including quitting smoking.

Losing excess weight, which requires lowering calories and fat consumption and increasing exercise, is the most successful strategy for lowering cholesterol. “Before starting a statin, try losing 20 pounds,” says Dr. David Becker, cardiologist at the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

“In most kids, you’d want to work on this for three to six months before you go to a more aggressive treatment,” Daniels says. If during that time physicians see evidence of improvement in lower cholesterol numbers and lost weight, the lifestyle treatment could continue without adding a drug.

Leading by example:

For adults and children alike, it’s clear that increasing physical activity while changing eating habits to include more fruits, vegetables, fiber, whole grains and fish and less saturated fat and sugar is easier said than done. But children have an advantage. Their bad habits are relatively new, not ingrained for decades, and might be easier to overcome.

“If children can be introduced to these more healthful lifestyle features — healthy diet, exercise, weight control — then we have a chance that this becomes natural for them,” Lewis says. Making the changes is labor intensive, often involving a nutritionist, an exercise physiologist and a physician advising the entire family. “The children and the family share the same food at the table, the same gene pool,” Lewis says. “It’s really important to get the whole family involved.”

And often, lifestyle changes work. “Adoption of a nutritional approach can usually reduce the serum cholesterol,” Lewis says.

“And if it’s mild to moderately elevated can often lower it to within the normal range. For the majority of children, the nutritional approach is really all that they need.”

Sources: Los Angles Times

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