Month: August 2008

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Herbs & Plants

Blackberry

Botanical Name: Rubus fructicosus
GAELIC NAME : Sméar.
LATIN NAME : Rubus villosus.
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Subfamily: Rosoideae
Genus: Rubus
Subgenus: Rubus (formerly Eubatus)

COMMON / FOLK NAMES : Bramble, Cloudberry, Dewberry, Goutberry, High Blackberry, Thimbleberry, Bly, Bramble-kite, Bumble-kite. Rubus fructicosus
Other names: Bramble, brymbyl, bumble-kite, brameberry, brambleberry.

Parts used: Blackberry leaves, bark and root can be used to make tea. The blackberries (fruits) are also eaten and used in fruit juice and jams.

Habitat:Blackberry is native to Europe (mainly Mediterranean region) and is cultivated in many countries with moderate climate. There exist various cultivars which produce larger berries.

DESCRIPTION : Blackberry is a trailing perennial plant that grows in dry or sandy soils. The slender branches feature sharp, recurved prickles. The leaves are finely hairy or almost glabrous and pinnate with 3 to 5 leaflets. The leaflets are ovate and doubly serrate. The upper leaves are sometimes simple and palmately lobed.

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FLOWERING PERIOD : The white, five-petaled flowers appear from June to September. The fruit is an aggregate of black druplets collectively called the Blackberry.

Phytochemicals: Blackberry leaves contain Tannins, Gallotannins, Dimeric Ellagitannins and Flavonoids. Blackberries (fruits) are exceptionally rich in phytochemicals mainly, Flavonoids, Anthocyanins, Cyanidin, Ellagic Acid.

Cultivation and some general uses:
Primary cultivation takes place in the North American State of Oregon located in the United States of America. Recorded in 1995 and 2006: 6,180 to 6,900 farmed acres of blackberries, producing 42.6 to 41.5 million pounds, making Oregon the leading blackberry producer in the world.

The soft fruit is popular for use in desserts, jams, seedless jellies and sometimes wine. Since the many species form hybrids easily, there are many cultivars with more than one species in their ancestry.

Blackberry flowers are good nectar producers, and large areas of wild blackberries will yield a medium to dark, fruity honey.

The blackberry is known to contain polyphenol antioxidants, naturally occurring chemicals that can upregulate certain beneficial metabolic processes in mammals. The astringent blackberry root is sometimes used in herbal medicine as a treatment for diarrhea and dysentery.[5] The related but smaller European dewberry (R. caesius) can be distinguished by the white, waxy coating on the fruits, which also usually have fewer drupelets. (Rubus caesius) is in its own section (Caesii) within the subgenus Rubus.

In some parts of the world, such as in Australia, Chile, New Zealand and the Pacific Northwest region of North America, some blackberry species, particularly Rubus armeniacus (syn. R. procerus, ‘Himalaya’) and Rubus laciniatus (‘Evergreen’) are naturalised and considered an invasive species and a serious weed.

As there is forensic evidence from the Iron Age Haraldskær Woman that she consumed blackberries some 2500 years ago, it is reasonable to conclude that blackberries have been eaten by humans over thousands of years.

PROPERTIES : Astringent, Tonic.

Nutrients and antioxidant qualities:
Blackberries are notable for their high nutritional contents of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid – a B vitamin, and the essential mineral, manganese (table)

Blackberries rank highly among fruits for antioxidant strength, particularly due to their dense contents of polyphenolic compounds, such as ellagic acid, tannins, ellagitannins, quercetin, gallic acid, anthocyanins and cyanidins.

Blackberries have an ORAC value (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) of 5347 per 100 grams, including them among the top-ranked ORAC fruits. Another report using a different assay for assessing antioxidant strength placed blackberry at the top of more than 1000 antioxidant foods consumed in the United States.

Nutrient content of seeds:
Blackberries are exceptional among other Rubus berries for their numerous, large seeds not always preferred by consumers. They contain rich amounts of omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) and -6 fats (linoleic acid), protein, dietary fiber, carotenoids, ellagitannins and ellagic acid.

Medicinal Uses: Blackberry leaves are traditionally used for the treatment of burns and scald. Tea from blackberry (leaves, root and bark) is astringent and used against intestinal disorders such as diarrhoea and dysentery. Prolonged use of the tea is also beneficial for enteritis, chronic appendicitis, and leucorrhoea. Chewing of fresh blackberry leaves helps to heal bleeding gums and inflammation of the mouth and troat.
The anthocyanins in blackberries are responsible for the potential anti-carcinogenic properties. The chemopreventive effects of fresh blackberries is caused by their antioxidant properties. Flavonoids strengthen the blood vessels and capillaries.

. It is said to have expectorant properties as well. A tea made from the dried root can be used for dropsy. The chewing of the leaves for bleeding gums goes back 2000 years.

Other facts: From the blackberry juice a very nice red wine can be produced.

Beliefs, Superstition and myths:
Blackberry was considered to be sacred to the Pagan deities of Europe, and was widely used in worship.
A bramble bush that forms a natural arch is a great aid to magical healing. On a sunny day, crawl through the arch backwards and then forward three times, going as nearly east to west as possible. This will cause boils, rheumatism, whooping cough and even blackheads to disappear. The blackberry leaves are used in spells of wealth, as are the berries themselves, and the vines are protective if grown.

The blackberry plant is also used to heal scalds by dipping nine blackberry leaves in spring water and then laying them against the wound gently, while saying the chant three times to each leaf (27 times in all)
Three ladies came from the east.
One with fire and two with frost.
Out with fire, in with frost.
This is an old invocation to Brigit , the Celtic Goddess of poetry, healing and Smithcraft.

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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackberry
http://www.shee-eire.com/Herbs,Trees&Fungi/Herbs/Blackberry/Factsheet1.htm
http://www.phytochemicals.info/plants/blackberry.php

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Striking Gold

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Citius, Altius, Fortius” goes the Olympic motto in Latin. Translated, it means “Swifter, Higher, Stronger.” That is what every Olympic athlete strives for — to be the best. His or her single-minded dedication, tremendous personal sacrifice and discipline are to be admired and emulated. It is not easy to drive your body to its limits.

Great athletes need the right genetic makeup, body proportions and physique. They can then be moulded for the job. Michael Phelps is 6 feet 4 inches tall, but has proportionately shorter legs attached to a long trunk, with giant size 14 feet that look and function like fins. Kip Keino, the Kenyan marathon runner, is only 5 feet 8 inches tall but has thin, long runner’s legs and a short torso.

In short, aspiring athletes need the correct genes and a supportive family and government. A genetically apt form and physique is wasted without the right training, nutrition, mental discipline and financial support.

This does not mean that we ordinary people cannot exercise and strive to be healthy. The human body has striated or voluntary muscles which function on demand. These muscles are either “fast-twitch” (white) muscles or “slow-twitch” (red) muscles. The white muscles contract rapidly and tire easily. They are good for sprinting. The red fibres are best for endurance sports as they have increased muscle power and are twice as efficient. With training it is possible to develop a particular muscle type, but a choice has to be made between speed and endurance. This is why a tall, strong, muscular and powerful human with more red muscle cannot move swiftly or manoeuvre as efficiently as a small, lean person with more white muscle.

Animals show this distinction in evolution. The cheetah has tremendous sprinting speed over short distances, but the horse has far greater stamina and endurance.

Once a particular muscle type has been trained, it is possible to excel in related events that have similar energy requirements. The same people will do well in the 100m and 400m sprints, the 110m hurdle and the long jump, but not in the 5000m event which requires more stamina. Tremendous torso strength is required to throw a shot put, hammer or javelin. These events require stocky athletes who may not be able to move fast and do well in sprints or jumps.

Everyone (particularly all Indians) should prioritise staying fit and exercising to the limit of his or her endurance. This means exercising one hour a day and trying to achieve the target heart rate (80 per cent of 220 minus age). This habit needs to be started young. Unfortunately, many school going children today are obese with a Body Mass Index (weight in kg divided by height in metre squared) greater than 25. However, it is never too late to start. Despite age, infirmity and illness, the body when trained and pushed is capable of miracles.

To start exercising, set a realistic primary fitness goal, and prioritise it as daily, monthly and lifetime goals. Decide if the exercise is to remain healthy, lose weight, contour the figure, improve cardiovascular status, control blood sugars, normalise blood pressure, for anti anxiety and anti depressant effects, to help work through fatigue or to compete in sports. The effort put in and the training will be different in each case. Targets will never be achieved without setting goals and if there is a tendency to procrastinate.

Regular exercise should include a 15-minute warm-up, a one-hour workout and a 10-minute cool-down phase to prevent muscle injury.

For the warm-up, do one or two pull-ups, spot jogging, skipping, push-ups and short stepping in place, gradually increasing the pace till sweating starts. Finish the warm-up with stretches. Slowly move the muscles, tendons and ligaments to increase flexibility. Stretch the Achilles tendon. Lunge from side to side and front to back. For each workout, pick and target a specific area that needs improvement. Decide ahead and fix a rotating timetable so that all the major muscle groups are exercised.

Muscles accumulate lactic acid during high intensity exercise. This needs to be removed during a 10-minute cool down process that involves walking and stretching.

Regular and judicious exercise can delay the onset of diabetes or hypertension by 10-15 years. It also increases breathing capacity and reduces the frequency of wheezing attacks in asthmatics. Body weight remains under control. Bones, muscles and joints stay flexible, reducing the pain of arthritis. Physically active people have better coping skills and are less likely to succumb to anxiety or depression. The feel good factor makes life pleasurable. The sense of achievement boosts morale. This in turn reduces illnesses, medication, the number of visits to the physician and hospitalisations.

As you start your exercise programme, remember each year of exercise adds approximately a year of life.


Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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News on Health & Science

Infections May Cause Premature Births

Undiagnosed infections may be causing a significant number of premature births, researchers reported on Monday after finding bacteria or fungi in 15 per cent of the amniotic fluid samples taken from women in pre-term labor.

….

The heavier the infection, the more likely the women were to deliver younger, sicker infants, the team at Stanford University in California found.

“If we could prevent these infections in the first place, or detect them sooner, we might one day be able to prevent some of these premature births,” Dr. Dan DiGiulio, who worked on the study, said in a statement.

More and more children are being born prematurely in the United States, with 12 per cent percent of births coming before the 37th week of gestation. Premature babies are vulnerable to breathing problems, underdeveloped organs, infections and cerebral palsy.

DiGiulio’s team looked for the DNA of germs in amniotic fluid samples collected from 166 women in pre-term labor at the Detroit Medical Center between October 1998 and December 2002. They used this method and standard laboratory cultures to determine that 25 of the 166 samples were infected with either bacteria or fungi. They also found at least one unknown organism that could be a new species.

All 25 of the women with infected amniotic fluid went on to deliver their babies pre-term, while 53 of the women with no infections were able to stop their labor. Now the team is working to see if infections can be detected before pre-term labor starts, which could lead to new prevention or treatment approaches.

Sources: The Times Of India

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Suppliments our body needs

Bee Propolis

Honey bee on Geraldton Wax Flower, NSW, AustraliaImage via Wikipedia

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Other name: Propolis
Definition:
Propolis is a resinous mixture that bees collect from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. It is used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the hive. Propolis is used for small gaps (approximately 6.35 millimeters (0.3 in) or less), while larger spaces are usually filled with beeswax. Its color varies depending on its botanical source, the most common being dark brown. Propolis is sticky at and above room temperature. At lower temperatures it becomes hard and very brittle.

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Propolis is a sticky resin that seeps from the buds of some trees and oozes from the bark of other trees, chiefly conifers. The bees gather propolis, sometimes called bee glue, and carry it home in their  pollen baskets.  They blend it with wax flakes secreted from special glands on their abdomens. Propolis is used to slickly line the interior of brood cells in preparation for the queen’s laying of eggs, a most important procedure.  With its antiseptic properties, this propolis lining insures a hospital-clean environment for the rearing of brood.

For centuries, beekeepers assumed that bees sealed the beehive with propolis to protect the colony from the elements, such as rain and cold winter drafts. However, 20th century research has revealed that bees not only survive, but also thrive, with increased ventilation during the winter months throughout most temperate regions of the world.

Propolis as hive sealing Propolis is now believed to do the following:

1.To reinforce the structural stability of the hive.

2.To reduce vibration

3.To make the hive more defensible by sealing alternate entrances

4.To prevent diseases and parasites from entering the hive

5.To prevent putrefaction within the hive. Bees usually carry waste out of and away from the hive. However if a small lizard or mouse, for example, found its way into the hive and died there, bees may be unable to carry it out through the hive entrance. In that case, they would attempt instead to seal the carcass in propolis, essentially mummifying it and making it odorless and harmless.

Composition
The composition of propolis will vary from hive to hive, district to district, and from season to season. Normally it is dark brown in color, but it can be found in green, red, black and white hues, depending on the sources of resin found in the particular hive area. Honey bees are opportunists, and will gather what they need from available sources, and detailed analyses show that propolis chemical composition varies considerably from region to region, along with the vegetation. In northern temperate climates, for example, bees collect resins from trees, such as poplars and conifers (the biological role of resin in trees is to seal wounds and defend against bacteria, fungi and insects). Poplar resin is rich in flavanoids. “Typical” northern temperate propolis has approximately 50 constituents, primarily resins and vegetable balsams (50%), waxes (30%), essential oils (10%), and pollen (5%). In neotropical regions, in additional to a large variety of trees, bees may also gather resin from flowers in the genera Clusia and Dalechampia, which are the only known plant genera that produce floral resins to attract pollinators. Clusia resin contains polyprenylated benzophenones. In some areas of Chile, propolis contains viscidone, a terpene from Baccharis shrubs, and in Brazil, naphthoquinone epoxide has recently isolated from red propolis, and prenylated acids such as 4-hydroxy-3,5-diprenyl cinnamic acid have been documented[8]. An analysis of propolis from Henan, China found sinapic acid, isoferulic acid, caffeic acid and chrysin, with the first three compounds demonstrating anti-bacterial properties[9]. Occasionally worker bees will even gather various caulking compounds of human manufacture, when the usual sources are more difficult to obtain. The properties of the propolis depend on the exact sources used by each individual hive, therefore any potential medicinal properties that may be present in one hive’s propolis may be absent from another’s, and the distributors of propolis products cannot control such factors. This may account for the many and varied claims regarding medicinal properties, and the difficulty in replicating previous scientific studies investigating these claims. Even propolis samples taken from within a single colony can vary, making controlled clinical tests difficult, and the results of any given study cannot be reliably extrapolated to propolis samples from other areas.

Side Effects
Propolis shouldn’t be applied to the eye area. Repeated use of propolis may make people more prone to developing allergies.

Other uses
Propolis is used by certain music instrument makers to enhance the appearance of the wood grain. It is a component of some varnishes and was reportedly used.

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propolis
http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/herbsvitaminsa1/a/Bee_propolis.htm

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Red Hot Medicine

Chilli peppersImage via Wikipedia

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A chemical found in chillies protects the plant from a fungus as well as our guts from bacterial infections.

Biologist Joshua Tewksbury has peeked into an aeons-old war between a plant and a fungus in rural Bolivia, and completed a long-standing puzzle about chillies. In a study of wild capsicum plants native to eastern Bolivia, Tewksbury has shown that the plants are loaded with a chemical that appears uniquely designed to protect them from a fungus called Fusarium.

Human taste buds have long been familiar with the chemical — capsaicin. It is the ingredient from chillies that goes into hundreds of dishes from cuisines worldwide — from Andhra chicken curry to Gaeng Phed, a spicy red curry from Thailand, to spicy Mexical lentils. Capsaicin in chillies provides the spicy taste to dishes. For plants, Tewksbury — of the University of Washington in Seattle — has found, capsaicin is self-defence against a microbe.

Microbes, it turns out, may help explain two elements of a puzzle about chillies. Why are chillies spicy? Why did humans begin to eat chillies — a spicy, even painful, fruit — in the first place?

One question was solved 10 years ago. Jennifer Billing, an undergraduate at Cornell University, scanned dozens of cookbooks and compiled a list of more than 4,500 recipes representing meat-based cuisines from 36 countries.

Then Billing and Paul Sherman, a professor of neurobiology and behaviour at Cornell, analysed temperature and rainfall patterns and cultivation ranges of 43 spice plants in each of those countries, and the anti bacterial properties of each plant.

The exercise threw up a distinct pattern on the map. The world appeared to have a hot zone — a band on either side of the equator where temperatures are high and the food tends to be spicy hot.

India, Thailand and Malaysia were at the top of the hot climate and hot food list. Sweden, Finland and Norway were the coldest countries with the least spicy food. The scientists also found that spices were microbe killers. Garlic, onion and oregano were the most efficient, wiping out virtually all bacteria, followed by cinnamon, cumin and thyme that kill 80 per cent of bacteria. Capsicum and chillies eliminate about 75 per cent of bacteria.

The Cornell biologists proposed that humans began to add spices to their food centuries ago — without realising it — to lower the risk of food-borne microbial infections. Some bacteria that might enter human stomachs through food have the potential to kill. The taste for spicy food, Sherman and Billing postulated, was a trait that would be beneficial — culturally and genetically.

“People who enjoyed food with anti bacterial spices probably were healthier, especially in hot climates,” said Sherman. “They lived longer, they left more offspring — and they taught their offspring how to cook food (with spices).”

The new study has solved the second botanical puzzle about chillies. A spicy fruit on first analysis is perplexing to evolutionary biologists. A plant makes fruit to lure insects and animals to eat and disperse its seeds to facilitate reproduction. “So it doesn’t make sense for a fruit to be painfully hot,” said Douglas Levey of the University of Florida, Gainesville, who was part of the six-member team that studied Bolivian chillies.

The researchers found that capsaicin significantly slows microbe growth and protect the fruit from Fusarium. Their findings were published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Eastern Bolivia was the ideal locale for this study. A variety of wild capsicum grows there along a stretch of some 1,600 kilometres. Some are spicy and pungent, while others lack capsaicin and are less or not at all spicy.

Scars left by insects feeding on capsicum are used by the fungus as gateways into the fruit. The researchers counted the insect scars, analysed rates of fungal attack and levels of capsaicin in the plants. They found that hot plants were hotter with higher levels of capsaicin in areas where fungal attacks were common. In areas with few insects — and thus less danger of fungal attack — the plants were less spicy.

The studies consistently showed that a high level of capsaicin was associated with lower seed mortality from fungal attack. The findings appear to be general and could also be applicable to chillies grown elsewhere, including India, said Tewksbury. “There are reasons to suspect that fungi and microbes are general targets of these capsaicins,” Tewksbury told KnowHow.

But while capsaicin slows microbial growth and protects the fruit from Fusarium, it doesn’t interfere with seed dispersal. “Birds don’t have the physiological machinery to detect the spicy chemical and continue to eat peppers and disperse the seeds,” Levey said.

The study shows that the use of chillies by humans appears to mirror the evolutionary function of capsaicin. “The capsaicin in chillies may have protected early humans from microbial infections,” said Tewksbury.

Researchers argue that before the advent of refrigeration, it was probably beneficial to eat chillies, particularly in the hot tropics. Studies suggest that all chillies originated in South America, and explorers carried the plants to Europe and elsewhere. Today, scientists estimate, one in four humans worldwide consumes chillies daily. “The use of chilli peppers as a spice has spread to nearly every culture within 20 degrees of the equator,” said Levey, “and it tends to decline as you move toward the poles.”

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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