Month: June 2009

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Herbs & Plants

Bhut Jolokia/ Naga Chilli/ King Chilli

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Botanical Name:Capsicum Chinense Jacq
Family: Solanaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Solanales
Genus: Capsicum
Species: C. chinense / C. frutescens
Subspecies: C. c. cultivar Naga Jolokia

Common Name:Naga Jolokia (English: King Cobra Chili) — also known as Bhut Jolokia, Ghost Chili, Ghost Pepper, California Death Pepper, Naga Morich.

Nomenclature
The Assamese word ‘‘jolokia’’ means the Capsicum pepper. The word N?ga means “King Cobra” in Sanskrit. The pepper is thought to originate from Nagaland in north-eastern India, and was originally named by the Naga people after the most venomous snake found in the region. The pepper’s fierce “bite” is akin to the venom of a king cobra. It’s also known as Naga Morich in Bangladesh and Bih Jolokia in the Indian state of Assam (Bih = ‘poison’, Jolokia = ‘chili pepper‘; in Assamese). Other names are Bhut Jolokia (Bhut = ‘ghost’, probably due to its ghostly bite or introduction by the Bhutias from Bhutan poison chili), Oo-Morok in Manipur (Oo = ‘Tree’, ‘Oo’ pronounced as in Book, Morok = ‘Chilli’), Borbih Jolokia, Nagahari, Nagajolokia, Naga Moresh and Raja Mirchi (‘King of Chillies’). Regardless of the nomenclature, they all refer to the same plant.

Ripe peppers measure 60 mm (2.4 in) to 85 mm (3.3 in) long and 25 mm (1.0 in) to 30 mm (1.2 in) wide with an orange or red color. They are similar in appearance to the Habanero pepper, but have a rougher, dented skin – a main characteristic of the Naga.

Habitat:Assam region of northeastern India. It also grows in the Indian states of Nagaland and Manipur.


Description:
Plant height  :  45-120 cm
Stem color :   Green
Leaf color  :  Green
Leaf length   :  10.65-14.25 cm
Leaf width  :5.4-7.5 cm
Pedicels/axil :   2
Corolla color :    Yellow green
Another color   :  Pale blue
Annular constriction   : Present below calyx
Fruit color at maturity    : Red

click to see the pictures..>……...(01)..…..(1).....(2).….(3)…….(4)…..
Fruit shape   :  Sub-conical to conical
Fruit length   :  5.95-8.54 cm
Fruit width at shoulder:     2.5-2.95 cm
Fruit weight : 6.95-8.97 g
Fruit surface   :  Rough, uneven
Seed color :    Light brown
1000 seed weight  :   0.41-0.46 g
Seeds/fruit  :   19.22-34.15
Hypocotyl color  :  Green
Cotyledonous leaf shape :   Deltoid

Scoville rating
In 2000, scientists at India’s Defence Research Laboratory (DRL) reported a rating of 855,000 units on the Scoville scale, and in 2004 an Indian company obtained a rating of 1,041,427 units through HPLC analysis. This makes it almost twice as hot as the Red Savina pepper, Guinness World Record holder at that time. For comparison, pure capsaicin (the chemical responsible for the pungency of pepper plants) rates at 15,000,000–16,000,000 Scoville units.

In 2005 at New Mexico State University Chile Pepper Institute near Las Cruces, New Mexico, Regents Professor Paul Bosland found Naga Jolokia grown from seed in southern New Mexico to have a Scoville rating of 1,001,304 SHU by HPLC.

In February 2007, Guinness World Records certified the Bhut Jolokia (Prof. Bosland’s preferred name for the pepper) as the world’s hottest chili pepper.

The effect of climate on the Scoville rating of Naga Jolokia peppers is dramatic. A 2005 Indian study that compared the percentage availability of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin in Naga Jolokia peppers grown in both Tezpur (Assam) and Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) showed that the heat of the pepper is decreased by over 50% in Gwalior’s more arid climate (similar temperatures but less humid, much lower rainfall)
Click to learn more about HOTNESS OF BHUT JOLOKIA…(1).….(2) :..(3)

Uses
The pepper is used as a spice in food or eaten alone. One seed from a Naga Jolokia can produce sustained intense pain sensations in the mouth for up to 30 minutes before subsiding. Extreme care should be taken when ingesting the pepper and its seeds, so as to not get it in the eyes. It is used as a cure for stomach ailments.  In northeastern India the peppers are smeared on fences or used in smoke bombs as a safety precaution to keep wild elephants at a distance.

In 2009, Indian defense scientists claimed to have found a new place to use the chilies — in hand grenades. The scientists aim to use the Chillies to control rioters to immobilize people without killing them.

Medicinal Uses:
Used in medicine, as pickles, sauces, adding hotness to non vegetarian foods stuff etc. Due to its extraordinary pungency level, it is especially sutable for preparation of “Oleoresin Capsaicin” as well as extraction of Capsaicin. . It is used as a cure for stomach ailments. It is also used as a remedy to summer heat, presumably by inducing perspiration.

World record attempt
On 9 April 2009 Anandita Dutta Tamuly, a 26 year old Indian woman, ate 51 Naga Jolokia peppers in two minutes. The attempt took place in Jorhat, India and is expected to be accepted into the Guinness World Records. Celebrity chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay was present.

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/Naga_Jolokia_pepper
http://www.greencover.org/Spices/King%20Chilli.html

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Red Apples, Berries Boost Fitness

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A new study has shown that a powerful antioxidant commonly found in the skin of red apples, red onions, berries and grapes could   increase endurance capacity without regular exercise training.

CLICK & SEE….>…...…RED APPLE …………RED ONION.…...BERRIES..…..GRAPES
Researchers from University of South Carolina‘s Arnold School of Public Health have revealed that fatigue-fighting and health properties of quercetin would have significant implications not only for athletes but also for average adults who battle fatigue and stress daily.

“The natural, biological properties of quercetin that include powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, as well as the ability to boost the immune system and increase mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell) in muscle and brain is great news for those who often think that they’re too tired to exercise,” said Dr Mark Davis, the study’s lead author and a professor of exercise science.

“While there’s no magic pill to make people get up and move, or to take the place of regular exercise, quercetin may be important in relieving the fatigue that keeps them sedentary and in providing some of the benefits of exercise,” he added.

During the study, the researchers recruited 12 participants, who were randomly assigned to one of two treatments.

Half were given 500 milligrams of quercetin twice a day in Tang for seven days. The other subjects drank Tang with placebos.

They also tested their additional VO2max (maximal oxygen capacity), one of the most important measures of fitness.

The findings revealed that participants who received quercetin had a 13.2 percent increase in endurance and a 3.9 percent increase in VO2max.

“These were statistically significant effects that indicate an important improvement in endurance capacity in a very short time,” Davis said.

“Quercetin supplementation was able to mimic some of the effects of exercise training,” he added.

The study appears in International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.

Source: The Times Of India

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Calculator Tells the Bald Future

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A pioneering new computer programme that predicts if and when men will go bald is being offered to British men.

…………..CLICK & SEE

The “baldness calculator” — said to be the world’s first reliable tool for predicting hair loss — has been a huge hit with men.

The programme calculates the exact age at which someone will go bald or have lost most of their hair or provides reassurance by predicting that they will still have a full head of hair in old age.

More than half a million German men used it within ten days of it being unveiled there and three million men have tried it out globally so far.

Sixty per cent of users of the calculator to date have been young men aged between 15 and 30. Two thirds of all British men will eventually suffer hair loss, according to recent research.

The programme asks users about their age, marital status, occupation, where they live, what their current hairline is, hair loss in their family and their stress levels.

German scientists devised the programme because half of men in their country suffer from hereditary hair loss.

Adolf Klenk, head of research and development at hair care firm Dr Kurt Wolff, said: “More and more men value full hair but especially younger men.

“They are looking for a partner and are at the peak of their social lives. They are very conscious about their looks and being accepted within their social groups. They get concerned that if they lose their hair, they will cease to be attractive to others whereas older men don’t care so much.”

Klenk said that men with a history of hair loss on either their mother or father’s side of the family are most at risk of going bald.

Source:The Daily Telegraph

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Herbs & Plants

Asarum Europeaum, European Ginger

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Botanical  Name: Asarum europaeum
Family:Aristolochiaceae
Common Plant Family: Birthwort
 Kingdom: Plantae
Genus: Asarum
Species:A. europaeum

Synonym:Hexastylis europaea

Common Name: European Wild Ginger,       Asarabacca,   Hazelwort, and Wild spikenard

Hasbitat:Asarum europaeum has a wide distribution in Europe. It ranges from southern Finland and northern Russia south to southern France, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Macedonia. It is absent from the British Isles and Scandinavia with the exception of southern Finland, and also from northwestern Germany and the Netherlands. Within Europe, the plant is grown outside of its range in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands.The plant grows in open woodland and waterside thickets, especially in beech woodlands.

Description:
.Asarum europaeum (European Ginger)is not a flashy plant, but it always holds its own in the garden.The plant is an evergreen  perennial  one  and has prostrate stems that each bear 2 reniform (i.e. kidney-shaped) leaves with long petioles. The upper surface of the leaves is shiny and they have a pepper-like taste and smell. There are also 2 to 3 stipules present that occur in two rows opposite each other on the stem. the flowers are solitary, terminal and nodding. The flower tube is composed of fused tepals that ends with 3 petal-like projections that are brownish towards their ends and dark purple toward the centre. There are 12 stamens present. The flowers emerge in the late winter and spring.. Unlike American wild ginger, European ginger has glossy, shiny(heart shaped) leaves.Leaves are thick and extra glossy. It grows as a low, slow creeping ground cover that sweeps around other plants, catches the light and reflects it up. The leaves are so shiny, everyone wants to reach down and touch it.
click to see the pictures.>……..(01).......(1).…...(2)……..(3).….……
The stems are 10-15 cm long. The leaves are petiolate and reniform and about 10 cm wide. It occurs mostly in deciduous woodland or coniferous forests, especially in calcareous soils. There are two recognised subspecies other than the type, including A. europaeum ssp. caucasicum, which is confined to the southwestern Alps, and A. europaeum ssp. italicum, which is found in central and northern Italy as well as in the Crna Gora mountains in former Jugoslavia. In former days, it was used in snuff and also medicinally as an emetic and cathartic. It is quite shade-tolerant and is often employed as a ground cover in gardens where little else will grow.
click to see
The newly emerging perennial  leaves are folded tightly in half and are a fresh green colour. The large, flat leaf in front is from last year. About half of the leaves remain on the plant from last season, some in good shape, and some not.

The purplish  brown flowers are usually hidden by the leaves and so are  not considered to be ornamental. Provide a moist soil with a pH in the 5.5 to 6.5 range.

Plant Height: 4-8 inches,
Environment: prefers full shade to partial shade or partial sun; soil should be moist
Bloom Colors: Purple

A handsome groundcover for shaded areas. Prefers rich organic soil that is slightly acidic.
Propagation: Propagation is by division in the spring.

Medicinal Uses:

Asarabacca has a long history of herbal use dating back at least to the time of the ancient Greeks, though it is little used in modern herbalism. The root, leaves and stems are cathartic, diaphoretic, emetic, errhine, sternutatory, stimulant and tonic. The plant has a strong peppery taste and smell. It is used in the treatment of affections of the brain, eyes, throat and mouth. When taken as a snuff, it produces a copious flow of mucous. The root is harvested in the spring and dried for later use. It is to be used with caution considering it’s toxicity. An essential oil in the root contains 50% asarone and is 65% more toxic than peppermint oil. This essential oil is the emetic and expectorant principle of the plant and is of value in the treatment of digestive tract lesions, silicosis, dry pharyngeal and laryngeal catarrh etc.

It has been substituted for Ipecac to produce vomiting. The French use it for this purpose after drinking too much wine. A little sniffed up the nostrils induces violent sneezing and a heavy flow of mucus. This has caused it to be used to remedy headache, drowsiness, giddiness, catarrhs, and other conditions caused by congestion. Asarabacca has been a component in many popular commercial medicinal snuffs.

Asarabacca has been extensively investigated, both chemically and pharmacologically. It is rich in flavonoids. The leaves contain a highly aromatic essential oil that contains constituents that verify the value of extracts as an errhine (for promotion of nasal secretion). Based on human experiments, the expectorant properties of both the roots and the leaves are quite good. In Rumania, human experiments where infusions of asarabacca were administered to people suffering pulmonary insufficiency, the preparations were said to have a beneficial effect on the heart condition, including a diuretic effect. From the types of irritant chemical compound known to be present in this plant, one would expect that catharsis would result from ingestion of extracts prepared from asarabacca. However, it is violent in its action.

Other Uses:....Dye.… A vibrant apple-green dye is obtained from plant. A useful ground cover for a shady position so long as it is not dry, spreading by its roots

Known Hazards: The plant is poisonous in large doses, the toxin is neutralized by drying.

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.aboutgardenplants.com/Asarum_europaeum.shtml
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=503939
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/10291/
http://northernshade.ca/2009/05/27/asarum-europaeum-with-glossy-foliage/
http://www.piam.com/mms_garden/plants.html
http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/modzz/00000156.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asarum_europaeum

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Music for the Heart

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Listening to the right kind of music can slow the heart and lower blood pressure, a study has revealed.
….CLICK & SEE
Rousing operatic music, like Puccini‘s Nessun Dorma, full of crescendos and diminuendos is best and could help stroke rehabilitation, say the authors.

Music is already used holistically at the bedside in many hospitals.

Not only is it cheap and easy to administer, music has discernible physical effects on the body as well as mood, Circulation journal reports.

Music with a faster tempo increases breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, while slower-pace music does the reverse.

“Music induces a continuous, dynamic – and to some extent predictable – change in the cardiovascular system ” says Lead researcher Dr Luciano Bernardi

Dr Luciano Bernardi and colleagues, from Italy’s Pavia University, asked 24 healthy volunteers to listen to five random tracks of classical music and monitored how their bodies responded.

They included selections from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, an aria from Puccini’s Turandot, Bach’s cantata No 169, Va Pensiero from Nabucco and Libiam Nei Lieti Calici from La Traviata.

Every musical crescendo – a gradual volume increase – “aroused” the body and led to narrowing of blood vessels under the skin, increased blood pressure and heart rate and increased respiratory rates.

Conversely, the diminuendos – gradual volume decreases – caused relaxation, which slowed heart rate and lowered blood pressure.

Swelling crescendos
The researchers tested out various combinations of music and silence on the volunteers and found tracks rich in emphasis that alternated between fast and slow, like operatic music, appeared to be the best for the circulation and the heart.

Verdi’s arias, which follow music phrases that are 10 seconds long, appeared to synchronise perfectly with the natural cardiovascular rhythm.

“The power of music is just incredible” Says Diana Greenman, chief executive of Music in Hospitals

Dr Bernadi said: “Music induces a continuous, dynamic – and to some extent predictable – change in the cardiovascular system.

“These findings increase our understanding of how music could be used in rehabilitative medicine.”

Music in Hospitals is a UK-based charity that provides live music to hospitals, hospices and care and residential homes across the country. It was originally set up after World War II to help injured veterans.

Its chief executive, Diana Greenman, said: “We have seen enormous benefits in people who have had strokes or heart attacks. The power of music is just incredible.

“Music is holistic, but I hear time and again of stroke patients who suddenly are able to move in time to the music after previously being paralysed.”

She said it was important to tailor the performance to the individual, since not all people appreciate the same music.

A spokesman for the Stroke Association said: “We have seen from previous pieces of research that a positive emotional state – that can be brought on from listening to music – can help stroke survivors.

“In fact, many of our support groups use music and singing techniques to aid stroke survivors’ recoveries.

“We would therefore welcome further research into this particular study which could help benefit the 150,000 people affected by stroke each year.”

You may click to see:->
Music therapy ‘restores vision’
Music ‘can aid stroke recovery’

Sources: BBC NEWS:22nd.June ’09

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