Month: September 2010

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Herbs & Plants

Eucommia (a Unique Rubber Tree)

Botanical Name: Eucommia Ulmoides.
Family: Eucommiaceae
Engler
Genus: Eucommia
Oliv.
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Garryales
Species: E. ulmoides

Synonymy: It is also sometimes known as “Gutta-percha tree” or “Chinese rubber tree“, but is not related to either the true Gutta-percha tree of southeastern Asia, nor to the South American rubber tree.

Habitat:Eucommia is native to China.This tree is also occasionally planted in botanical gardens and other gardens in Europe, North America and elsewhere, being of interest as the only cold-tolerant (to at least -30°C) rubber-producing tree.

Fossils of Eucommia have been found in 10–35 million year old brown coal deposits in central Europe and widely in North America (Call & Dilcher 1997), indicating that the genus had a much wider range in the past.

Description:
Eucommia grows to about 15 m tall. The leaves are deciduous, arranged alternately, simple ovate with an acuminate tip, 8–16 cm long, and with a serrated margin. If a leaf is torn across, strands of latex exuded from the leaf veins solidify into rubber and hold the two parts of the leaf together. It flowers from March to May. The flowers are inconspicuous, small and greenish; the fruit, June to November, is a winged samara with one seed, very similar to an elm samara in appearance, 2–3 cm long and 1–2 cm broad.

You may click tlo see the pictures
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Medicinal Uses:
The bark is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat lower back pain, aching knees, and to prevent miscarriage. Also used to “tonify” the Yang.

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MODERN USES OF EUCOMMIA
More than 50 years ago, eucommia was shown to have hypotensive action in laboratory studies conducted in the Soviet Union and China, and there was already some initial clinical use of the herb for this purpose. In fact, a formula with eucommia and other hypotensive Chinese herbs was developed at that time: Tianma Gouteng Yin (Gastrodia and Uncaria Combination). It was described in New Approaches to Patterns and Treatments in Complex Diseases (a text relaying research conducted during the 1950s). This formula has since become well-known as a treatment for hypertension. Additional studies were undertaken since then, mainly in China, and the primary hypotensive constituent was identified as pinoresinol diglucoside, one of 27 lignans found in eucommia .

Pinoresinol
This component, also found in the Chinese herb forsythia, is present in eucommia bark in only small concentrations. However, it has a significant dilating effect on the blood vessels. The herb and its extracts are now commonly found in Chinese patent remedies for hypertension , but this component is not alcohol soluble and is not useful in tinctures. Compound Cortex Eucommia Tablets are sold as a hypertension remedy and the package lists eucommia as the prime ingredient (others mentioned on the label are uncaria, prunella, and scute, all of which are attributed antihypertensive properties). During an evaluation of potential anti-hypertensive Chinese herbs that could be clinically tested in the U.S., ITM developed a six herb formulation with the four herbs just mentioned (eucommia, uncaria, prunella, and scute) plus loranthus and tang-kuei.

Aucubin and the other iridoids of eucommia are likely responsible for the anti-inflammatory effect, which is attained by inhibiting the arachidonic acid pathway . This may partly explain its use in treatment of arthritis. Rehmannia, which also contains iridoid glycosides (including aucubin) as major active components, is often used with eucommia in the formulas for arthralgia.

It has been found that eucommia leaves can substitute for the bark, and hence these are increasingly used in China in order to get a larger amount of the desired medicinal agents from the limited cultivated groves. Eucommia leaves have also been made into a health beverage .

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/Eucommia

http://www.itmonline.org/arts/eucommia.htm

http://www.trees-shrubs.org.uk/pic-trees/43-eucommia-ulmoides.html

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Featured

Study Finds That Exercise can Override ‘Fat Genes’

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New research reveals why you can no longer use the excuse that your “genes” are making you fat …

Just because someone has the genes does not mean that they will become overweight or obese, “Lifestyle such as physical activity can modify the effect.”

Researchers took a look at 12 genetic variants known to increase the risk of obesity, and then tracked the physical activity levels of more than 20,000 people. They determined that physical activity can reduce the genetic tendency toward obesity by 40 percent.

Even being active just 30 minutes a day proved to be a good start in reducing the effects of the genes.

USA Today reports:
“U.S. experts say the study adds to the data on the importance of exercise for weight control. ‘This is more evidence that behavior can modify genetic predisposition,’ says Tim Church, director of preventive medicine research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.”

Source: USA Today August 31, 2010

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Herbs & Plants

Ephedra (genus)

Botanical Name :Ephedra distachya
Family: Ephedraceae
Genus: Ephedra
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Gnetophyta
Class: Gnetopsida
Order: Ephedrales
Common Names: Joint-pine, Jointfir, Mormon-tea or Brigham Tea. Mormon-tea,, cañatilla, popotillo, tepopote (Stevenson 1993), Sea Grape

The Chinese name is , má huáng (Fu et al. 1999)., which means “yellow hemp”. Ephedra is also sometimes called sea grape (from the French raisin de mer), although that is also a common name for Coccoloba uvifera.

Habitat :
Semiarid and arid areas in North America, Mexico, South America  south to Patagonia. , Europe, Asia, and N and E Africa (including Canary Islands) (Stevenson 1993, Fu et al. 1999).

The 35 species in this treatment are distributed as follows:

Their habitats are all described as dry, rocky and/or sandy. A few species occur in grasslands, and for a few species, habitat is not specified.

One species occurs in Argentina and Chile, from Tierra del Fuego to 42° S.

Two species occur in North Africa, one of which also occurs in SW Asia (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Israel) and Cyprus.

Twelve species are in the USA (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Wyoming) of which 5 species also occur in Mexico (Baja California Norte, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Sonora).

The remaining 21 species are Eurasian, with focal areas in central Asia (18 species) and around the Mediterreanean (4 species, plus the North African ones). These break out according to country as follows:

•China: 14 species (in Gansu, Guizhou, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Shandong, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, and Yunnan)
•Pakistan: 9 species
•Kazakhstan and Mongolia: 8 species each
•Afghanistan: 7 species
•Tajikistan: 6 species
•Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan: 4 species each
•Greece, India, Iran, Nepal, Sikkim, Turkmenistan: 2 species each
•Armenia, Bhutan, France, Germany, Hungary, Slovak Republic, Turkey, Ukraine: 1 species each
The New World species mostly occur at elevations of below 2000 m, with a few species reaching as high as 2300 m. The Eurasian species show a much greater elevation range, from sea level to 5300 m (E. gerardiana, the highest gymnosperm species). E. intermedia probably has the greatest elevational range of any single gymnosperm species, ranging from 100 to 4600 m elevation across its vast range.

It grows on the semi-desert and desert regions and on gritty slopes on the Russian steppes. Grasslands, sandy places and rocky mountain slopes below 900 metres in China.


Description:
Shrubs or vines, dioecious (rarely monoecious), with erect, procumbent or climbing stems,  growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 1 m (3ft 3in). Branches jointed, much branched, photosynthetic, yellowish green to olive-green when young. Branchlets opposite or whorled, green, terete, longitudinally grooved. Leaves opposite or in whorls of 3, scalelike, generally ephemeral, mostly not photosynthetic; resin canals absent. Cotyledons 2. Cones terminal or axillary, ovoid to elliptic. Pollen cones solitary or clustered at nodes, each composed of 2-8 descussate pairs or 3-part whorls of membranous bracts, proximal bracts empty; each distal bract subtending a male flower composed of 2 basally fused, orbicular or obovate scales (false perianth); anthers sessile or stipitate on staminal column. Seed cones opposite or in whorls of 3 or 4 at nodes, each cone composed of overlapping bracts; bracts arranged in 2-10 decussate pairs or whorls of 3, red and fleshy at maturity (rarely brown and membranous), proximal bracts empty, most distal bracts subtending an axillary female flower composed of a pair of fused, leathery scales (false perianth) enclosing ovule with a single membranous integument prolonged into a slender, tubular micropyle. Seeds 1-3 per cone, ellipsoid to globose, yellow to dark brown, smooth to scabrous or furrowed (Stevenson 1993, Fu et al. 1999).

click to see the pictures..…..(01)..….(1)……...(2).…...(3).……...

Cultivation:
Requires a well-drained loamy soil and a sunny position. Established plants are drought resistant and are also lime tolerant. Plants are hardy to at least -15°c. This species does not flower or fruit well in Britai. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation:
Seed – best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a greenhouse. It can also be sown in spring in a greenhouse in a sandy compost. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on for at least their first winter in a greenhouse. Plant out in the spring or early summer after the last expected frosts and give some protection in their first winter. Division in spring or autumn. Layering.

 Edible Uses :  Fruit  is eaten raw. A sweet but rather insipid flavour. The fruit is about 6mm in diameter.

Medicinal Uses:
Plants of the Ephedra genus, including E. sinica and others, have traditionally been used by indigenous people for a variety of medicinal purposes, including treatment of asthma, hay fever, and the common cold. They have also been proposed as a candidate for the Soma plant of Indo-Iranian religion. The alkaloids ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are active constituents of E. sinica and other members of the genus. These compounds are sympathomimetics with stimulant and decongestant qualities and are related chemically to the amphetamines. Ephedra nevadensis contains ephedrine in its roots, stems and branches. Ephedra distachya contains up to 3% ephedrine in the entire plant. Ephedra sinica contains approximately 2.2% ephedrine.

Members of this genus contain various medicinally active alkaloids (but notably ephedrine) and they are widely used in preparations for the treatment of asthma and catarrh. The whole plant can be used at much lower concentrations than the isolated constituents – unlike using the isolated ephedrine, using the whole plant rarely gives rise to side-effects. The plant also has antiviral effects, particularly against influenza. Ephedrine stimulates the sympathetic nervous system dilating the coronary vessels. It has a powerful and rapid antiallergic action. Indicated to combat coughs, asthma, hay fever, nettle-rash, some edema and eczema conditions. A tincture and an extract are used. It is used to relieve acute muscular and rheumatic pains (when it is called teamsters’ tea), as a stimulant, and in the cardio tonics in Ayurveda. It is sometimes identified with the legendary drug soma, as described in the Avesta and the Rig Veda, the respective ancient sacred texts of the Zoroastrian and Hindu faiths. Valued in Chinese medicine almost as much as Ephedra sinica. The branches and root are used in Siberia as a remedy in gout and syphilis.
The stems are a pungent, bitter, warm herb that dilates the bronchial vessels while stimulating the heart and central nervous system. They are used internally in the treatment of asthma, hay fever and allergic complaints. They are also combined with a number of other herbs and used in treating a wide range of complaints.

CLICK & READ ABOUT EPHEDRA

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Discussions on Ephedra (genus)

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.conifers.org/ep/ep/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra_sinica

http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_DE.htm

http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Ephedra+distachya

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Exercise

Does Music Make You Exercise Harder?

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For a study published last year, British researchers asked 12 healthy male college students to ride stationary bicycles while listening to music that, as the researchers primly wrote, “reflected current popular taste among the undergraduate population.” Each of the six songs chosen differed somewhat in tempo from the others.

During one session, the six songs ran at their normal tempos. In other sessions, the tempo was slowed by 10 percent or increased by 10 percent. Their activity changed significantly in response.

When the tempo was slowed, their pedaling diminished in rate, their heart rates fell, and their mileage dropped. When the tempo was increased, they produced more power with each pedal stroke and increased their pedaling rate, and their heart rates rose.

The New York Times reports:

“The interplay of exercise and music is fascinating and not fully understood, perhaps in part because, as a science, it edges into multiple disciplines, from physiology to biomechanics to neurology.

No one doubts that people respond to music during exercise … Just how music impacts the body during exercise, however, is only slowly being teased out by scientists.”

You may click to see : Does Music Help Exercise Endurance

Resources:
New York Times August 25, 2010
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports August 2010; 20(4):662-9
LifeHacker August 30 2010

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Herbs & Plants

Evergreen hydrangea (Dichroa febrifuga)

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Botanical Name :Dichroa febrifuga
Family: Hydrangeaceae
Genus: Dichroa
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Cornales

Common Name :Evergreen hydrangea

Habitat: Dichroa febrifuga is native to Nepal eastwards to southern China and into south-east Asia, where it grows at the forest edge.Shrubberies and damp places, often gregarious in clearings of oak forests, 900 – 2400 metres, from C. Nepal to China.

Description:

Dichroa febrifuga (Blue Evergreen Hydrangea) – A 3 to 7 foot tall by 5 foot wide, half-hardy evergreen shrub from the Hydrangea family. The 4 to 8 inch long dark green leaves resemble the foliage of Hydrangea with prominent veins and small serrations. The terminal end of the branches hold clusters of hydrangea-like flowers with white buds opening to bright blue flowers in spring and summer that are followed by metallic blue berries. As with the blue forms of Hydrangea the shade of blue of the flower is determined by soil pH (actually the availability of aluminum) and more acid soils produce bluer flowers. Plant in part sun to light shade with moderately moist soil. It is hardy and evergreen to 20-25 degrees F but defoliates much below these temperatures but plants knocked back by cold resprout from hard wood…

Click to see different pictures of Dichroa febrifuga :

It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower from Jun to August, and the seeds ripen from Aug to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)

Often called evergreen hydrangea, this hydrangea relative features attractive deep green foliage. Flower buds form on branch tips opening into pinkish to blue flowers that are followed by metallic blue berries. Likes regular water and protection from hot afternoon sun. Will tolerate quite a bit of shade.  Responds to pruning.

Cultivation :
An easily grown plant, succeeding in an open loamy soil. The flowers vary in colour according to the type of soil they grow in, the best blue colour is formed when plants are in very acid soils. One report says that this plant is probably not hardy outdoors in Britain whilst another says that some provenances tolerate temperatures down to about -5°c and another report says that the forms in cultivation are only fully hardy in southern Cornwall. This same report goes on to say that those forms probably do not belong to D. febrifuga in the strict sense. This plant is cultivated in Russia as an anti-malarial herb.

Propagation
Seed – we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in spring and only just covering it. Do not allow the compost to dry out. 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. No details are given, we suggest trying in August with almost ripe wood in a frame.

Medicinal Uses:

Antiperiodic;  Emetic;  Expectorant;  Febrifuge;  Purgative.

This plant is commonly used in Chinese herbalism, where it is considered to be one of the 50 fundamental herbs. The leaves are purgative. They are used in the treatment of stomach cancer. The juice of the leaves is used in Nepal to treat coughs, colds and bronchitis. A decoction of the stem bark is used in the treatment of fevers. a decoction of the leaves is used to treat malarial fever. The root contains several alkaloids and is emetic, expectorant, febrifuge and purgative. The juice of the root is used in Nepal to treat fevers and indigestion. This plant is 26 times more powerful than quinine in the treatment of malaria but causes vomiting. Substances in the plant are 100 times more powerful than quinine, but they are poisonous.

It is an important herb in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs.

Click to see :Research Update of Dichroa febrifuga:  

Other Uses:
The wood is used as a fuel.

Known Hazards :  One report says that the plant is toxic but gives no more details.

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.calfloranursery.com/pages_plants/pages_d/dicfeb.html
http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=505
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichroa_febrifuga
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Dichroa+febrifuga
http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/2005/08/dichroa_febrifu.php
http://www.rizreyes.com/Dichroa_febrifuga_UBC.html

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