Month: March 2010

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Herbs & Plants

Alangium Chinense

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Botanical Name : Alangium chinense
Family : Alangiaceae
Genus : Alangium
Synonyms : Alangium begoniifolium – (Roxb.)Baill., Marlea begoniifolia – Roxb.,Stylidium chinense – Lour
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Cornales
Species: A. chinense

Habitat :E. Asia – India to C. China .  Upland thickets in W. China. Open places around villages at elevations of 300 – 2400 metres in Nepal.Woodland Garden; Secondary;

Description:-
An evergreen Small deciduous tree, growing to 8m at a slow rate.  Leaves alternate, asymmetrical, ovate, entire or with shallowed pointed lobes, 8-25 cm long, 4.5-16 cm wide, dark green, glabrous or with scatered hairs above, lighter beneath with axillary tufts of hairs along nerves. Apex pointed, base oblique and truncate. Petiole reddish. Flowers in axillary cymes, slightly fragant, about 2 cm long, in July-August. 6-7 white petals, reflexed and sometimes cohered. Conspicuous orange anthers. Fruit ovoid, black

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It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf all year, in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen from August to November. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Cultivation :–
Succeeds in any moderately fertile well-drained soil[200]. Requires full sun and a sheltered position[200]. Not very frost tolerant,  this species is likely to be on the borderlines of hardiness even if obtained from its higher provenances . However, although the top growth will be killed back in all but the mildest winters, the plant will usually resprout from the base in the spring and will usually flower in the summer.  These flowers are sweetly scented. This species is closely related to A. platinifolium. Although a fair sized tree in its native habitat, it is unlikely to make more than a shrub more than 2 metres tall in Britain. It does not require pruning.

Propagation:-
Seed – we have no details for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in the spring. When 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 in early summer and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in sand in a frame

Medicinal Actions & Uses:-
Blood tonic; Carminative; Contraceptive.

This plant is commonly used in Chinese herbalism, where it is considered to be one of the 50 fundamental herbs. And, it is used to treat snakebite, used as a carminative. Moreover, it is used to increase circulation, as a contraceptive and a “hemostat”, to treat numbness, rheumatism, and wounds. The roots and the stems are a blood tonic, carminative and contraceptive. They are used in the treatment of rheumatism, numbness, traumatic injuries, wounds and snakebites. A decoction of the leafy shoots is said to be tonic. A paste of the roots is applied to the area around dislocated bones to help them setting. The shoot, rootbark and whole plant are all used medicinally.

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.

Other Uses:-
Oil.

An oil extracted from the seeds is used for lighting lamps.

Scented Plants
Flowers: Fresh
The small white flowers are sweetly scented.

Resources:
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Alangium+chinense
http://www.biologie.uni-ulm.de/systax/dendrologie/Alangchifw.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alangium_chinense
http://www.metafro.be/prelude/prelude_pic/Alangium_chinense4.jpg

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Exercise

Sitting into the Back Stretch

Here’s a nice stretch for your middle and lower back that fits easily into your workday. Just move your chair away from the desk and give it a try whenever your back feels tight or stiff. This move is also a great way to release tension in your neck and shoulders.

……………..CLICK & SEE

STEP-1.
Sit all the way to the back of a sturdy chair (not a rolling one). Place your feet shoulder-width apart with your ankles below your knees, feet flat on the floor. Bend forward at the hips, bringing your chest and ribcage in between your inner thighs. Reach your arms in front of you, with your hands on the floor, looking down between your feet. Pause and feel the stretch in your middle and lower back.

STEP-2.
Once you feel comfortable with the stretch, reach your hands behind your feet and grasp the front legs of the chair. Aim the crown of your head forward away from the chair as you engage your upper back muscles and slide your shoulders down away from your ears. Pull your torso closer to the floor to feel a deeper stretch. Hold for three to six complete breaths, release your hands and slowly sit upright to come out of the stretch.

Source: Los Angeles Times

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Herbs & Plants

Mountain Dandelion (Agoseris glauca)

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Botanical Name :Agoseris glauca
Family : Compositae/Asteraceae
Subfamily: Cichorioideae
Genus: Agoseris

Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asterales
Tribe: Cichorieae
Species: A. glauca

Synonyms : Agoseris villosa – Rydb.  Troxicum glaucum – Pursh.

Other common names: Mountain Dandelion ,false dandelion,pale agoseris and prairie agoseris.

 

Habitat : It is native to northern and western North America from Alaska to Ontario to New Mexico, where it grows in many habitat types.   Western N. America – British Columbia to Manitoba, south to California and New Mexico.  Meadows and other open places at all elevations in moderately dry to moist or even wet soils.

Description: –
Agoseris glauca is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family .This is a perennial herb which varies in general appearance. It produces a basal patch of leaves of various shapes which may be as long as the plant is high. There is no stem but the plant flowers in a stemlike inflorescence which is sometimes erect, reaching heights near half a meter or taller. The flower head is one to three centimeters wide with layers of pointed phyllaries. The head is ligulate, bearing many yellow ray florets and no disc florets. The fruit is an achene with a body up to a centimeter long and a pappus which may be almost 2 centimeters in lengt

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It is hardy to zone 0. It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen from June to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.
The plant prefers light (sandy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Varieties:-
Agoseris glauca var. dasycephala
Agoseris glauca var. glauca

Cultivation:–
Prefers full sun and a sandy or gravelly loam low in nutrients. The sub-species A. glauca villosa is used for its gum.

Propagation:-
Seed – sow spring in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 2 – 6 weeks at 15°c. As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer or late in the following spring. Division with care in spring. The plants do not like a lot of root disturbance so it is best to pot up the divisions and keep them in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are established.

Edible Uses:-
Edible Uses: Gum.

The solidified sap (latex) of the stem is chewed as a gum.

Medicinal  Actions &  Uses:-

Laxative; Poultice; Warts.

The following reports refer to the sub-species A. glauca dasycephala (Torr.&Gray.)Jepson. An infusion of the entire plant is used as a wash for sores and rashes. The milky latex is applied to warts in order to remove them. This requires constant applications over a period of weeks for it to be effective. A poultice made from the latex is applied to sores. An infusion of the root is used as a laxative.

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.

Other Uses
Latex.

 

A latex in the plant contains rubber, but not in sufficient quantities to make it commercially valuable.

Resources:
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Agoseris+glauca

Click to access Agoseris_glauca.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agoseris_glauca

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Healthy Tips

Ways to Improve Your Adolescents’ Health

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Simple, low-cost steps like wearing a pedometer to encourage walking or meditating for a few minutes every day can enhance adolescents’ health, say researchers.

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According to Dr Vernon Barnes, physiologist at the Medical College of Georgia‘s Georgia Prevention Institute, these types of side-effect-free steps can quickly help lower blood pressure, heart rate and even weight, neutralizing today’s unhealthy, upward trends among young people.

In one of three studies presented at the American Psychosomatic Society Annual Meeting in Portland, Ore, Dr Barnes said a positive attitude and family environment increases the effectiveness of the interventions. The research comparing breathing awareness meditation to health education and life-skills training discovered that all methods improved blood pressure.

Dr Barnes, who has studied the effect of mediation on cardiovascular health for over a decade at MCG, has documented the improved stress reactivity in black adolescents with high normal blood pressures as well as lower blood pressures in black, inner-city adolescents who meditate twice daily.

Meditation also sharpens the mind for education.

Dr Barnes said: “When you come to school with a stressed mind, you can’t do as well.

The benefit of calming your mind is preparing it to learn.”

A review of school records showed meditating adolescents miss fewer days and generally behave better, he pointed out.

Another study demonstrated that the blood pressure of students in a high school-based walking program decreased after just 16 weeks compared with non-participating peers. Dr Barnes, part of an adult team competing with a group of high school students to see which can walk the farthest, said the pedometer inspired adolescents to walk.

He said: “You think about it: that little extra walking will hopefully benefit your health.”

“It all works together, which makes sense,” he said, looking at the effectiveness of the techniques over just a few months. While decreases in blood pressure were small – a 2.5 point reduction in pedometer wearers compared to a 3.5 point increase in the control group – it’s good momentum.

Dr Barnes said: “If you could maintain that decrease into your adult years, it may decrease cardiovascular disease risk.”

Researchers also reported reductions in anger and anxiety after a dozen, 50-minute classes on the topics taught by health teachers. Psychosocial factors such as anger are known to contribute to a wide range of health problems including elevated blood pressures and heart disease in adulthood. But Williams LifeSkills workshops helped adolescents learn to analyse a situation before responding, to listen and empathize or even stand firm when necessary.

Source: The Times Of India

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Healthy Tips

Sleep Habits Linked to Fat Gain in Younger Adults

James Hetfield.
Image via Wikipedia

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Researchers found that among adults younger than 40, those who typically slept for five hours or less each night had a greater accumulation of belly fat over the next five years.
……..CLICK & SEE
But those who logged eight hours or more in bed each night also showed a bigger fat gain, although it was less substantial than that seen in “short sleepers.”

On average, short sleepers showed a 32 percent gain in visceral fat, versus a 13 percent gain among those who slept six or seven hours per night, and a 22 percent increase among men and women who got at least eight hours of sleep each night.

A similar pattern was seen with superficial abdominal fat. Even when the researchers considered factors like calorie intake, exercise habits, education and smoking, sleep duration itself remained linked to abdominal-fat gain.

The study does not prove that too little or too much sleep directly leads to excess fat gain. But the findings support and extend those of other studies linking sleep duration — particularly a lack of sleep — to weight gain and even to higher risks of diabetes and heart disease.
Resources:
Reuters March 1, 2010
Sleep March 1, 2010 :

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